Poisoning Apple
by purplewombat225
Summary: What happens when the fairest of them all winds up with the wickedest of them all as the new villain of her story? Apple's fairytale life gets a whole lot more interesting when the son of the evil sorcerer from Swan Lake volunteers to take Raven's place. But is being stuck with Rotbart really as bad as she thinks?
1. Introduction

Dear Readers:

This is a collection of oneshots that pairs Apple with Rotbart; son of the evil sorcerer from Swan Lake and an original character created by Janet-Mufasa. The premise of this collection is based on Janet-Mufasa's compelling story _Tales As Old As Time Should've Been Retired Years Ago_ (which I encourage you all to read). Aside from the basic premise, however, this story is a completely separate work (especially since Apple and Rotbart do not have any romantic inclinations in _Tales As Old as Time). _And this story has nothing to do with my other Apple fanfic _Apple in Atlantis_.

I love the complex character of Rotbart, and I feel he is the perfect contrast to Apple White and everything she stands for. Much thanks to Janet for her support and answering all of my questions about Rotbart.

So without further ado, I hope you enjoy reading these short episodes and watching Apple and Rotbart's bizarre relationship unfold.

Sincerely,

The Author


	2. Surprisingly Fun

**Surprisingly Fun**

There were two main reasons why Rotbart Von Schwarz, son of the wicked sorcerer Eric Von Schwarz, had elected to take Raven Queen's place as the villain in the Snow White story after she had rejected her destiny.

One, he was Raven's big brother. Well, half-brother anyway. Not many people knew that the Evil Queen had had a passionate, tempestuous affair with the evil sorcerer of Swan Lake fame before marrying the Good King, Raven's dad. Nobody could guess it from looking at the two siblings. While Raven closely resembled their beautiful and infamous mother, she exuded humility and compassion, which she had learned from her father. Rotbart on the other hand, was undeniably evil (or at the very least, extremely dark). And incredibly powerful since he was the son of not one, but two, great sorcerers. His flaming red hair, confident stride, and the glittering glint in his eyes said to anyone that crossed his path:_ I could totally fuck you up if I wanted to._ Nobody ever got that impression from encountering Raven.

Despite their immense differences, the two siblings had a strange affection for each other. Even though Rotbart mainly lived with his dad, he would often come to the Good King's castle to hang out with his mom and little sister. For as long as Rotbart and Raven could remember, the other one had always been hanging around (since they were only a couple years apart in age). And now they were all they had left of their mother, who, despite everything she had done, was their Mom above all. In brief, they were both lucky enough to feel the indelible love that comes from sharing a parent and a childhood.

So when Raven decided that she didn't want to even try to be evil, her big brother quickly offered to shoulder her burden for her, out of that indelible love.

The second big reason Rotbart decided to abandon his original destiny in favor of Raven's was because he loved Duchess Swan. When Duchess Swan angrily confronted him about leaving their story, he told her the truth: he would rather suffer in another story than make her suffer at all. He wanted her to be free and to find love and happiness, even if it wasn't with him. Granted, Duchess didn't react to his selfless act quite as he had hoped (she had been extremely angry and fearful at the time), but he could take comfort in the fact that she was now free to pursue a romantic relationship with Sparrow Hood (even though Rotbart personally felt that Hood was an annoying little prick).

But not too long after meeting Apple White, Rothbart realized that he had another excellent reason for switching stories:

Being in Apple White's story was actually fun.


	3. The Fun Begins

**The Fun Begins**

The minute Apple White marched up to him and told him that she would never accept him as the villain of her story, Rotbart realized that tormenting Apple would be a thousand times better than tormenting Duchess.

For one thing, he didn't like her. He had never interacted with her before that moment, but he instantly found himself wondering how she could be so popular. Everything about her seemed annoying to him. Her utterly boring perfect-princess appearance. The stupid little crown headband perched at a perky angle. Her (currently shrill) sing-song voice. Her self-righteousness. Her pettiness. And all the entitlement that seemed to ooze out of every pore of her white-as-snow skin.

He was pretty sure that he wouldn't fall into the same trap he did before; there was no way he'd wind up falling for _this_ girl!

_She probably thinks her shit is ice cream_, he thought, as he listened to her boldly declare how she wasn't going to get the likes of _him_ ruin her story. He didn't say a word as she ranted, he just let her get all of her princess angst out her system.

* * *

><p>As Apple lectured Rotbart about the importance of adhering to destiny, she struggled not to let on how terrified she really was. She wasn't happy about having any villain other than Raven in her story and Duchess had mockingly told Apple that Swan Lake sorcerers were the <em>worst. <em>According to her, the men in Rotbart's family were almost as powerful as the Wicked Queens and _twice_ as thorough; they left no stone unturned, were always one step ahead, and would guarantee that every possibility for happiness would end in misery (of course Duchess completely failed to mention that this particular sorcerer had purposely switched stories to give her a better chance of finding a Happily-Ever-After. She felt there was no need for Apple to know _that)_.

Apple could easily believe everything that Duchess said just from looking at Rotbart. He looked dangerous and utterly merciless as he gazed down at her from his great height. Like an owl contemplating whether or not it should eat a little mouse. He didn't respond or react to her pleas and demands at all; he just stood there with his arms crossed and an irritating smirk on his face.

As Apple tried to act brave and queenly in front of this scary-looking guy, all she could think was: _He can't be in my story. He can't be in my story. He CAN'T be in my story!_

Apple finished her tirade by saying: "So long as you're in my story, I will never, **_ever_ **eat another apple again!" And then she flounced off.

It was a very stupid thing to say to Rotbart. He took it as a challenge.


	4. How to Make an Apple Stew

**How to Make an Apple Stew**

The day after Apple confronted Rotbart, she found a small basket of bright, red apples in front of her door when she returned from class. She automatically assumed that they must have come from one of her many admirers.

"How sweet!" She said as she picked up the basket and brought it inside her room. She forgot all about her "solemn oath" to Rotbart and ate all of the apples over the course of three hours.

But when Apple finished the last apple, she noticed that there was a note at the bottom the basket. It said:

_Never EVER, huh? _

_- Rotbart_

Apple felt sick the minute she read his note. _What if that creep **poisoned** me?! _She thought. And she immediately rushed to the nurse's office.

* * *

><p>It took a long time for the head nurse to convince Apple that she <em>hadn't<em> been poisoned and was making a huge fuss over nothing. Apple stormed out of the nurse's office, convinced that that nurse didn't know _what_ she was talking about!

But after a day of worrying, Apple had to admit that the nurse was right. Rotbart had just been messing with her, and nothing more. _The jerk._ She thought.

* * *

><p>The following day, Apple received another basket of apples. She hesitated this time, but concluded that since they were granny smith apples, she would probably be alright. <em> After all,<em> she reasoned, _everybody knows that red apples are more likely to be poisoned!_

But when Apple got through the second basket, she found another note at the bottom:

_An apple is an apple, princess._

_- Rotbart_

Apple couldn't believe the nerve of that guy!

* * *

><p>A couple days after that, somebody left Apple a small, steaming, apple pie topped with loads of whipped cream and cinnamon-sugar. Apple tried her hardest to resist it, but it was no use: she ate within two hours of receiving it. And it was quite easily the best apple pie she had ever tasted.<p>

Still, she got a bitter taste in her mouth when she read the message that was etched onto the bottom of the pie dish:

_Did you enjoy your humble pie?_

_- Rotbart_

Apple felt a sudden, unprincessly urge to punch Rotbart in the face.

* * *

><p>The day after she received the "humble-apple-pie," Apple found a bunch of bananas outside her door. She thought was unusual, but it sure beat more of her namesake!<p>

Until she read the tag on the bananas:

_By the way, apples are soo overdone, don't you think?_

_- Rotbart_

Apple tossed the bananas to the ground.

"THAT IS **IT**!" She yelled. And she marched off to find that red-headed cretin.


	5. I'm Not Mean

**"I'm Not Mean"**

Apple found Rotbart in the school courtyard, sitting under a tree and writing in some leather-bound book. He snapped it shut when he saw Apple storming towards him.

"ROTBART!" Apple yelled. Everyone around them flinched at the sound of the fury in her voice. But Rotbart didn't seem concerned at all.

"And a very good afternoon to you too, princess." He said coolly.

Apple was a little bit taken aback by the sound of Rotbart's voice; it was the first time she had ever heard him speak. He had a soft accent that she couldn't quite place and there was something about his voice that seemed unusual for a would-be villain. But she was far too angry to ponder that.

"What is your problem?!" She demanded.

"Problem? I don't have a problem." He replied. "You, princess, seem to be having a problem."

"Yes, and it's you!" Apple retorted.

Rotbart smiled. "Good."

Apple's jaw dropped. "GOOD?!" She said in outraged disbelief.

Rotbart raised a single eyebrow. "Well, yes. I'm _supposed_ to be your problem. I believe that's the whole point of our relationship." He said.

"No!" Apple said vehemently. "There _is_ no relationship. We were _never_ meant to have a relationship. You were never meant to be in my story at _all_!"

"Like how you meant to never have another apple again?" Rotbart said innocently.

Apple flushed bright red from embarrassment and rage. "And that's another thing," She added. "What are you trying to prove with all those...those..."

"Gifts?" Rotbart supplied.

"YES!"

"That I'm committed to making our story a reality. And that I'm willing to be creative." He said with a smirk. Apple did **not** like the sound of that.

"Well, STOP!" She told him, and she crossed her arms and tried to make herself look as imposing as possible. But she just looked petulant.

"How ungrateful." He remarked.

"No I'm not! You're just mean!" She said.

Suddenly Rotbart stood up and crouched down a bit so he could look Apple right in the eye. His piercing ice-blue eyes stared right into her wide sky-blue ones.

"You wound me, princess." He said slowly. "I'm not mean." Apple's eyes grew even wider as she wondered what Rotbart was getting at. And to her horror, a decidedly sinister grin broke over his face.

"I'm **evil**." He said.

And Apple yelped and scurried off as fast as she could.

Rotbart chuckled to himself as he went back to writing in his journal. That prissy little princess wasn't nearly as brave as she thought she was, despite her temper.

And he began pondering what to send her next.


	6. The Gift Exchange

**The Gift Exchange**

Apple was _not_ happy about how her second confrontation with Rotbart had gone. But then again, she wasn't happy about how either of them had gone. At least she hadn't run scared the first time; she _hated_ how much Rotbart frightened her. She wanted to teach that big bully a lesson, but she didn't want to try and do it to his face. At least, not any time soon. She still got shivers when she remembered the look on his face when he proudly announced: "I'm evil."

Nonetheless, Apple decided that she had to do _something_. And after Rotbart sent her a whole fruit basket and a note that said:_ Pick your poison, princess_, she decided to beat him at his own game.

* * *

><p>First, she sent him a large bucket of troll boogers. The troll that lived under the bridge outside the village of Bookend was very puzzled by Apple's request, but he was happy to oblige. It was an awful, gelatinous substance that almost seemed to have a life of its own, and Apple was positive that it would completely gross Rotbart out. It was the perfect payback!<p>

Unfortunately, Rotbart wasn't revolted by the bucket of boogers at all. In fact, he sent Apple a thank you note:

_Dear Princess,_

_Thank you very much for the booger bucket. It will be most helpful in my upcoming projects _(Apple didn't want to contemplate what those projects might be).

_Gratefully,_

_Rotbart_

Apple huffed in frustration. But she wasn't going to give up so easily!

* * *

><p>The next thing she sent him was a cursed pendant. According to the shady magician who sold it to Apple, it had the power to make anyone who wore it break out in green boils. And it was silver, so it looked like the sort of thing that Rotbart would wear. Apple was sure that she'd make that creep sorry now! She giggled as she imagined his smug face covered with boils.<p>

But once again, things didn't go as Apple had hoped; she received another note and another gift from Rotbart the following day:

_Dear Princess,_

_You were very kind to send me that pendant; it looks great on Sparrow. Green is definitely his color_ (_Poor Sparrow!_ Apple thought guiltily. She had forgotten that they were roommates).

_Gratefully,_

_Rotbart_

_P.S. Did you know that combs have been used to poison previous Snow Whites? - R._

This time Rotbart's gift wasn't fruit-related; it was a beautiful comb inlaid with rubies. If it hadn't come from Rotbart, Apple would have thought it was lovely. But it did, so she didn't. She sighed as she realized that getting back at Rotbart was going to be much harder than she thought.

And after two weeks of effort, Apple was very discouraged. She had tried sending Rotbart all sorts of nasty things, but none of it seemed to work! Apple was starting to think that NOTHING could phase this guy, and that thought was very disturbing. Distressing even!

* * *

><p>But one day, inspiration struck in the form of Cerise Hood. She had a locker that was near Apple's and she couldn't help chuckling as she overheard Apple describe her attempts to prank Rotbart to Briar.<p>

"What's so funny?!" Apple asked indignantly.

"Yeah, this is serious." Briar said with a frown.

"Sorry," Cerise said. "It's just that I think you're doing it wrong."

"Huh?!" Apple said in disbelief. She looked back at Briar who just shrugged. "What do you mean I'm doing it wrong?" She asked Cerise.

"He's a _bad_ guy." Cerise said, as if the answer was totally obvious. But the two princesses just stood there looking confused, so Cerise spelled it out for them: "He _likes_ gross stuff and cursed items." Cerise explained. "If you wanna make him uncomfortable, you gotta give him stuff villains hate."

Apple's eyes widened; what Cerise was saying made perfect sense. "What do villains hate?" She asked eagerly.

Cerise's brow scrunched in thought as she tried to remember the classroom notes her dad always left lying around at home. "Well...it varies, but most of them don't like cute stuff..." She said.

And Apple suddenly knew what to do. She started running towards the Enchanted Forest. "Thank you Cerise!" She called as she dashed off.

"Uh, no prob?" Cerise said.

"Huh, how do you know so much about bad guys?" Briar remarked.

"Ummm...gotta run, bye!" And the daughter of Red Ridinghood and the Big Bad Wolf disappeared into the shadows.

* * *

><p>Rotbart got a nasty shock when he returned to his room later that evening. The entire place was completely overrun with adorable, fluffy, bunnies.<p>

**"ARRRRRGGGH! AP-PLE!"** He bellowed.

Apple could hear him all the way from the school courtyard and she smiled in satisfaction.

Revenge was a dish served best with bunnies.


	7. War

**War**

After Apple learned the secret to pranking a die-hard villain, it was a lot easier for her to get back at Rotbart for his little "gifts." Whenever he sent her something that was meant to irk her, she'd respond by "redecorating" his room. And she always did her best to ensure that it was sickeningly cute.

One time she decorated his side of the room with pretty pink bows. Then she filled it with oodles of daisies. And not too long after that, she filled with it humongous teddy bears. And then there was the time she filled it with brightly colored balloons.

And weirdly enough, Apple actually began to look _forward_ to Rotbart's presents. They always presented her with a fun opportunity to get creative and get even with that big meanie! She had never dreamed that pranking could be so much fun.

* * *

><p>It didn't take long for Rotbart to start to dread re-entering his room at the end of the school day. There was always a fifty-fifty chance that he's have to deal with something utterly precious and totally irritating and <strong>not<strong> fun to clean up.

Nevertheless, the prankster in him was impressed with Apple's efforts. Now that she had cracked the code, she was actually pretty good at it. And he had to admire her guts; not every princess would dare to prank a guy like him.

_Maybe she's not such a coward after all.._.He thought. _I'll have to step up my game; I can't have a spoiled little princess outdoing me..._

* * *

><p>So Rotbart moved on from leaving gifts in front of Apple's door to hiding things in her room. Things like scary Jack-in-the-Boxes, realistic rubber cobras, baggies of troll boogers (Apple seriously regretted sending him that) and tiny stink bombs.<p>

Apple retaliated by posting embarrassing signs on his door. Things like: "I'm Rotbart, and I'm a Pretty Princess," "I'm Rotbart and I'm Cute as a Button," "I'm Rotbart and I'm a Sweepy Liddle Baby," and "I'm Rotbart and I Tots Heart Prince Beiber Forever After" (that last sign almost made Rotbart consider turning Apple into chicken fricassee).

And so the "gift exchange" between a princess and a villain turned into an all out prank-war.


	8. Taking Sides

**Taking Sides **

It didn't take long for Apple and Rotbart's prank war to become the talk of Ever After High. It seemed that the constantly looming question on everyone's mind was: "What is Rotbart going to do to Apple today?" And if it wasn't that, it was: "What is Apple going to do to Rotbart today?"

Naturally, most of the royals supported Apple; their poor, unfortunate, beautiful, winsome, beloved future queen who had suffered so much in terms of destiny. First her rightful villain had abandoned her and their story, and now she was stuck with a real asshole for a bad guy. And yet she was bearing it all with a sunny sweet smile and plenty of pranks to make that bastard pay. The royals didn't even stop to think how unbecoming Apple's sudden vindictiveness was for a future ruler.

Although Rotbart didn't have a lot of friends, most of the rebels tacitly applauded his efforts to annoy Apple. After all, Apple had had it so easy up to now with her cushy, perfect future. It was high time that somebody showed her how much the reality of stories could bite! Besides, most of the rebels thought Apple was being incredibly anal; did it really matter who Rotbart was, as long as Apple had someone to poison her? The more cynical rebels thought that Rotbart should prank her into submission just so she would shut up about destiny.

Apple's best-friends-forever-after offered to help her get back at Rotbart multiple times, but Apple always refused. She kept insisting that it wasn't fair for anyone else to get involved in their fight. But in actuality, Apple didn't really _want_ anyone else to get involved. For some inexplicable reason, she wanted to do this solo. Or rather, she wanted this ongoing battle strictly between her and Rotbart. She could never articulate this feeling into words, or even conscious thoughts, but she just knew that it wouldn't be the same otherwise.

Kitty Chesire was the only person that had volunteered to assist Rotbart, but he turned her down as well. Partially because he knew that Kitty was _not_ the most trustworthy of co-conspirators, and partially because he felt the same as Apple. As far as he was concerned, only _he_ was allowed to drag that pampered princess out of her precious comfort zone!

The only person who really wanted the whole prank war to end was Raven. She was worried that sooner or later somebody was going to get seriously hurt, or in serious trouble, from all those practical jokes. She had tried reasoning with Apple but it was no use. Apple was still far too angry with her for rejecting her destiny in the first place ("This all **your** fault!" The allegedly fairest-of-them-all informed Raven).

Then Raven tried pleading with Rotbart to make him stop, but he just laughed evilly when she brought it up. "I'm doing this on _your_ behalf, little sister." He told her when he finished chuckling.

"No you're not!" Raven said with a frown. "You're doing this because you _want_ to!"

"True." Rotbart admitted. "And when have I ever stopped doing what I want?"

Unfortunately Raven knew the answer to that. And that only left one person for her to turn to...

Headmaster Grimm.

* * *

><p>But Headmaster Grimm refused to intervene at all! He was very gracious and polite on the surface, but Raven got the underlying message:<p>

_It's YOUR fault that this whole debacle is even happening, so YOU have to live with the consequences!_

Once again, the headmaster was shamelessly taking Apple White's side of things. And he was taking another opportunity to punish Raven for challenging his precious, bullshit standards. For a moment, Raven wondered if she should follow Rotbart's example and stuff Grimm's desk full of troll boogers.

But in the end, Raven couldn't emulate Rotbart, even at her most furious. All she could do was brace herself for the day when this prank war would inevitably get out of hand.


	9. Of Singing Mice and Angry Birds

**Of Singing Mice and Angry Birds**

Raven didn't have to wait long for things between Apple and Rotbart to escalate. Two days after Headmaster Grimm refused to intervene, Sparrow barged into Raven and Apple's room.

"HEY APPLE WHITE: DO SOMETHING 'BOUT THOSE MICE, 'CUZ THAT'S NOT RI-IGHT! OW!" The thief musician half-sang, half-screeched as he shredded on his guitar.

"Sparrow. Do you have to..._sing_ everything?" Raven said through gritted teeth. It was easy for her to see why her brother hated his roommate so much.

Sparrow ignored her and said to Apple: "Seriously, you've got to get those singing mice OUT. ASAP."

Apple smiled sweetly, but it didn't escape Raven that there was a slightly sinister glint in her eye. "Why Sparrow?" Apple said with the charm of a perfect princess. "Doesn't Rotbart _like_ my little gift?"

"He has no clue about your gift. Well, YET." Sparrow informed her.

Apple was very taken aback by this. "Oh. Are they bothering _you_ then?" Despite her new-found love of annoying Rotbart, she was generally careful to do things that wouldn't affect Sparrow too much. As future queen, she needed to be considerate of _all_ her subjects. Just not Rotbart.

"No, the little dudes are cool. Especially the fat one, he bs a sick box!" Sparrow said. "It's the _owl_ that's freaking the shit out!"

Raven groaned as she face-palmed. _Odie._ She thought. _Of **course** Odie would get involved._

"Owl? _What_ Owl?" Apple said in confusion.

"Rot-barf's owl!" Sparrow half-shouted.

"I never saw an owl!" Apple said defensively.

"He usually sleeps all day in his little hole." Raven explained. "The mice must have woken him up."

"Yeah, and he's mad as hell! And hungry!" Sparrow added.

"Oh dear!" Apple cried in alarm. She thought that Rotbart would only shoo the mice out, not let his owl eat them! "Those poor little musical mousies!"

And she immediately rushed off to Rotbart and Sparrow's room with Sparrow and Raven close behind.

* * *

><p>When Sparrow opened the door to his dorm room everything was in total disarray. Books, homework, sheet music, cursed items, guitar picks, rubber snakes, boxers, briefs, and all sorts of clutter affiliated with Rotbart and Sparrow were scattered everywhere. Two desks and a bookshelf had been knocked over, and feathers from shredded pillows and duvets were floating in the air. And in the middle of all this chaos, the seven white, formerly-singing mice were squeaking and desperately trying to hide from a very large, very crabby-looking owl of an indeterminate breed who was screeching furiously as he tried to grab them.<p>

"SEE?!" Sparrow said. Raven stepped forward and tried to calm the ruffled bird down:

"Nice Odie...It's OK, Odie..." Odie suddenly stopped, sharply turned towards Raven, gave her a look that plainly said "_No. This is **not** OK. Fuck off_," and resumed hunting. "Typical." Raven muttered as she rolled her eyes. Odie was just as pig-headed as his owner.

"I'll handle this." Apple said confidently. She marched into the middle of the room And Raven and Sparrow stood back, wondering what she was going to do.

Apple opened her mouth and began to sing:

_Come little friends,_

_Let this fighting end,_

_La-La-La-La-La Let's sing and be friends,_

_La-La-La-La, All friends to the end!_

The effect Apple's singing had on the animals was remarkable. The mice stopped squeaking in fear and Odie stopped tearing the room apart. And within two minutes, all of the mice were circled around Apple and humming along to her singing. And Odie was perched on her shoulder and nuzzling her as if he was a great, feathered kitten. Raven had never seen him so affectionate with anyone other than Rotbart. All in all, it was a pretty adorable scene.

And then Raven and Sparrow heard Rotbart yelling in agony from down the hall.

"Rotty?! Are you OK?!" Raven anxiously called as she ran towards him. He was doubled over, covering his ears, and was looking a bit like someone was attacking him.

"AAAAAARRRRRRG!" The young sorcerer roared. "WHAT IS THAT **RACKET**?!"


	10. Shit

**Shit**

"What racket?" Raven asked in confusion. She didn't hear a racket.

"_THAT_ RACKET!" Rotbart said in anguish. "Ohmygodmother, that's got to be the **_worst_ **singing I've ever heard!"

"You mean Apple?" Raven asked.

**"APPLE?!"** Rotbart straightened up to his full height and immediately headed for his room, with a furious scowl on his face.

Raven was stunned. She knew her brother was a music snob, but she never thought he'd react _that_ badly to Apple's singing; he was rooming with _Sparrow_ for goodness sake! She hadn't seen Rotbart _this_ outwardly mad since he was ten years-old. But then again, Apple seemed to have a knack for bringing out the immature in him.

Unfortunately, Raven knew what an immature Rotbart was capable of. And she hurried after him to try and control whatever damage she could.

* * *

><p>Rotbart couldn't believe his eyes when he entered his room. Apple White was sitting on the floor and singing an incredibly stupid song about friendship to Odie and a bunch of white mice. Her eyes were closed and she was completely lost in the moment. The sunshine that came through Rotbart's window even seemed to create a little spotlight that surrounded the fairytale princess and woodland creatures in a warm glow. The whole thing was so disgustingly sweet, the huge mess that surrounded them didn't even register in Rotbart's brain.<p>

And the weirdest and most infuriating thing was that Odie actually seemed to be _enjoying_ the crap that was floating out of Apple's mouth! Rotbart was utterly appalled; he thought he had raised his feathered friend to have FAR better taste than that!

"HEY!" Rotbart shouted. The sound of his voice jolted Apple from her song. She opened her eyes and frowned at him.

"Hello Rotbart." She said coldly.

"Just _what_ do you think you're doing in my room, princess?" He hissed.

"I'm _trying_ to save these poor little mice!" She said.

"Yeah, after you put them here in the first place, no doubt. What kind of ruler are you, sending a bunch of poor, little mice to get eaten by a vicious owl?"

"What, _him_?" Apple said as she gestured to Odie. "Nonsense! He's a sweetie! He could never eat his widdle friend nows. No he couldn't-no he couldn't." Odie hooted cheerfully in response to Apple's baby-talk and Rotbart had a sudden urge to stuff him. The traitor!

"He is NOT a sweetie, he's a shit. A major shit with shit taste in music." Rotbart said as he glared at his pet.

Apple's eyes narrowed. "And just what is THAT supposed to mean?!" She demanded.

"I mean you sing like a drag queen with a head cold, princess!" Rotbart shot back.

Sparrow and Raven both gasped aloud at this.

_Oh no.._.thought Raven.

_Oh fuck..._thought Sparrow.

Shit was starting to get very, VERY real.


	11. Apple Goes Too Far

**Apple Goes Too Far**

For a moment Apple was too shocked and angry to speak. She just sat there and gaped like an outraged gargoyle.

"_What_ did you say?" She finally said, in a quiet, dangerous voice. Raven had never heard Apple use that tone of voice before and it sent chills down her spine. Sparrow also looked pretty worried, but Rotbart didn't seem phased at all. He crouched down so he could look Apple in the eye and said in an equally quiet voice:

"I SAID: you sing like a drag queen with a head cold."

Apple couldn't believe it: this asshole-villain was criticizing her singing. Her SINGING! It was a low blow for any fairytale princess to take. Especially Apple, who was in deep, **deep** denial about her vocal prowess.

She promptly exploded. "I order you to take that back!" She yelled as she stood up in fury. She was so frightening that Odie immediately flew for the safety of his hole and several of the mice shat themselves on the floor before they scurried away.

Rotbart laughed aloud at this as he also stood up. "Hah! You _order_ me to! That's rich. Let me tell you something, princess: I only listen to _real_ royalty, and then only if I _feel_ like it!"

"I'm your crown princess; royalty doesn't _get_ more real than me!" Apple said haughtily.

"Oh yeah?" Rotbart challenged. "Then how come your singing sucks dragon dick? What princess sings like _that_? Seriously!"

"HOW DARE YOU!" Screeched Apple.

"How dare YOU make that noise in public?!" Rotbart retorted. "If you rule like you sing, this kingdom's going down the shitter!"

Raven tried to step in. "Haha, OK...funny joke Rotbart!" Raven said unconvincingly. "Oh you big kidder, he's just kidding around, aren't you, Rotbart?"

Rotbart gave his little sister a withering look that plainly said: _You've got to be kidding **me**!_

Raven tried again. "Oh come on, you've always said _Sparrow_ was the worst singer in the kingdom!" She said.

"HEY!" Sparrow said. Raven gave him a pointed look, and Sparrow thankfully caught on. "Erm, I mean...yeah...WORST PIPES IN DA KINGDOM THAT'S ME-OW YEEEEAAAH!" He screech-sang. Sparrow Hood may not have been the sharpest arrow in the quiver, but even _he_ realized it was best to put out this fire as quickly as possible.

"Yes. I _have_ said that, multiple times." Rotbart admitted. "And it's completely true." Raven and Sparrow heaved a small sigh of relief and even Apple looked a little mollified by that statement.

"But I think Princess Apple is quite easily the worst singer in the WORLD." Rotbart declared.

Raven and Sparrow quickly braced themselves for Apple's reaction. Tears? Tantrum? Threats? Tongue-lashing? Terrible, _terrible_ violence? Who _knew_? They were shocked (and quite frankly, terrified) when they saw a sinister grin creep over Apple's lovely face like a sunrise.

"So. You hate my singing THAT much, huh?" Apple said in that quiet voice again. Rotbart slowly nodded, like a man in a trance. For some reason, Apple was extremely fascinating to him right now; he couldn't explain it, but that spoiled, blase' princess was a lot prettier when she looked like she was plotting something.

And then Apple started singing again:

_All the doves love to fly_

_And the hares love to burrow..._

Raven groaned. She had heard Apple sing this cutesy princess song a hundred times and she knew it was the sort of song that Rotbart loathed with a passion. _This can only end in tears_...she thought.

Once again, Rotbart acted as though someone was physically attacking him. He collapsed to his knees and then started writhing on the floor in total agony, cursing in his first language:

"Заткнись, О, Боже, Заткнись ты, сука!" He howled. But Apple just smiled and continued singing.

And then Raven suddenly noticed that Rotbart's right hand was starting to glow with a dark blue light. And that could only mean one thing!

"Apple!" Raven said urgently. "Stop! Stop before he-"

But it was too late. Rotbart zapped involuntarily and his magic hit Apple right in the face. She collapsed to the ground with a humongous poof and immediately transformed.

"Oh great." Raven said in a deadpan voice.

"Uh-oh." Rotbart said, when he realized what he had done.

"Dude." Sparrow said in amazement. "You just _SWANED_ the princess!"


	12. The NEW Swan Princess

**The NEW Swan Princess**

As Apple slowly came to, she was dimly aware of voices. Raven's voice, which sounded worried and upset. Rotbart's voice, which sounded worried, but defensive as well. And Sparrow's voice which was screech-singing:

"AW MAN, YOU'RE GONNA BE IN SO MUCH TROUBLE, WHOA-YEEEAAH!"

"Rotty, how COULD you?!" Raven was saying.

"It was an _accident_!" Rotbart protested. "I didn't _mean_ to blast her!"

"Arrrg! I just _knew_ something like this would happen!" Raven said as she threw her hands up. "I _told_ you to knock it off with the pranks!"

"Yeah, well, _**she** _started it!" Rotbart retorted.

"Yeah, and now **_you'll_ **be finished if you don't change her back!" Raven pointed out.

"APPLE'S UNDER A SPELL-NOW YOU'RE GONNA GET EXPELLED: OOOOWWWW!"

"SHUT UP SPARROW!" The magical siblings shouted.

_Spell? Change **back**?_ Apple groggily thought with a growing sense of alarm. She slowly wobbled to her feet and it immediately struck her that everyone was now a LOT taller than she was.

Sparrow was the first one to notice that Apple had regained consciousness. "Oh fuck, she's up." He said. The two sorcerers whirled around to look at the very confused and VERY different Apple.

"Apple..." Raven said slowly. "Can you understand me?"

Apple frowned. "Of course I can, why shouldn't I?" But she didn't realize that her words were now unintelligible to the other fairytale teens.

"Just...nod your head if you can." Raven told her. Apple did so, wondering what on earth was going on. "OK, hexcellent. Now Apple: please, whatever you do, DON'T FREAK OUT."

Apple's eyes widened. "Why would I be freaking..." And then she stopped. Apple had finally gotten a look at her hands. Or rather, her _former_ hands.

Now they were large white wings! And when Apple looked down, she saw that she now sported a white bird body and large webbed black feet!

Apple promptly freaked out.

"OHMYGRIMM, WHAT DID YOU** DO** TO ME?!" She yelled. Except to Rotbart, Raven, and Sparrow, it sounded more like: "HONK-HONK _HIIISSSSSS_ **HONK**!"

"YOU JUST GOT SWANED, OW!" Sang Sparrow.

"Sparrow! NOT helping! Raven snapped. Raven turned her attention back to the now-turned-swan princess that was losing her mind. "Apple...Apple! calm DOWN..." she tried to tell her. But Apple continued pacing, flapping, and honking all over the place like a mad thing. A **furious** mad thing (Raven was pretty sure that Apple was saying some VERY unprincessly things right now).

Raven turned back to Rotbart and said: "Can you fix this?"

Rotbart considered Apple in her new form. "I don't know..." he said slowly. "She looks a _lot_ better like this." Apple stopped in mid-honking-rant to give Rotbart a furious death glare and a hiss that could have curdled blood. "You're welcome." He smirked.

"ROTBART!" Raven shouted.

"OK-OK!" He said holding up his hands. "This is an easy fix." He said as he reached a hand into his shirt. "All we've got to do is..." the young sorcerer suddenly looked shocked.

"HEY! WHERE'S MY CHARM?!" He yelled.


	13. Complications

**Complications**

"YOU **_LOST_ **YOUR CHARM?!" Raven shouted in disbelief.

"I didn't _lose_ it, it's GONE!" Rotbart yelled back.

"Same thing!" Raven retorted.

"No it's not! You know I can't lose that thing, I never take it off!"

"Then why don't you have it?!"

"I DON'T KNOW!"

"Uh...exactly what swan charm are we referring to here and why is it important?" Sparrow asked nervously. The siblings stopped arguing to stare at him and the same realization struck both of them.

"How do YOU know it's shaped like a swan?" Raven asked accusingly.

"_I_ certainly never showed it to you." Rotbart added dangerously.

Sparrow gulped. The two sorcerers looked mad as hell. And Sparrow knew all too well that pissing either of them off was never a good idea. He figured that he might as well come clean.

"Imayormaynothavenickeditwhileyouweresleeping." Sparrow admitted to Rotbart in one big rush.

"WHAT?!" Rotbart roared. Dark blue energy started materializing around his clenched fists.

"EEEEEEEEEEEEEEK!" Sparrow screamed as he practically leaped away from the angry sorcerers. He did NOT want to wind up like Apple.

"Sparrow, what made you _do_ that?!" Raven shouted. "It wasn't **_yours_**!"

"I'm a Hood. I take stuff. In my blood. Can't help it. It's a disease. DON'T HURT ME!"

"Гондон!" Rotbart cursed. "That charm contains the potion to reverse the swan curse! Where is it?!"

Sparrow mumbled something. "Speak up." Rotbart ordered.

Sparrow mumbled slightly louder. "Still can't hear you..." the young dark sorcerer said threateningly.

"I GAVE IT AWAY, ALRIGHT?!" Sparrow yelled.

"WHY WOULD YOU..."Raven started.

"Another Hood thing. Rob the rich. Give stuff away. Sucks big time. Sorry 'bout that. **PLEASE** DON'T HURT ME!"

**"AAARRRRRG!"** Rotbart roared as he hurled a flaming blue fire ball slightly above Sparrow's head. The future hero of Sherwood Forest struggled not to wet himself.

"Not helping, Rotty." Raven told her brother. "We've got to figure this out _calmly_. Killing Sparrow isn't going to get us anywhere. Or Apple back to normal."

"But it will make me feel _**so** _much better!" Rotbart growled.

"Rotty." Raven said firmly. Rotbart sighed and the magic around his hands died out.

"Fine." He huffed. "We need this asshole alive to tell us who he gave the charm to, anyway."

"Oh yeah-totally!" Sparrow said quickly. "But erm...do we really _need_ this charm? I mean, can't you just zap her back?"

"I can't." Rotbart said shortly.

"Not without seriously messing her up." Raven added. She nervously glanced behind her to see how Apple was handling all this information.

Only Apple wasn't there. At all.


	14. Further Complications

**Further Complications**

"Apple's gone!" Raven exclaimed. The minute she said this, Rotbart stopped fuming and Sparrow stopped cowering.

"WHAT?!" They both shouted.

"She's GONE!" Raven repeated.

"Gone where?!" Sparrow asked.

"How the hex should _I_ know?!" Raven yelled.

"Gone _how_?!" Sparrow asked.

"She _flew_, you idiot." Rotbart growled. "That's what birds _do_."

"Yeah, but she's only been a bird for two minutes." Sparrow retorted. "Can she even _fly_?"

Raven and Rotbart's eyes widened in horror. Sparrow actually had a good point for a change. No one could survive a six story drop like that! They immediately ran to the window and looked at the ground below. There was no sign of a dead swan anywhere.

"Apparently she _can_." Raven sighed in relief.

"Good." Rotbart said. "I can still kill her then." Raven glared at him. "What?" Rotbart said defensively.

Raven rolled her eyes. "OK." She said. "Rotbart and I will track down Apple before she hurts herself..."

"Or someone else." Rotbart muttered. He could imagine what a pissed and panicked swan Apple was capable of.

"...And YOU get that charm back!" Raven told Sparrow.

"But what if she won't give it back?!" Sparrow asked.

"_She_?" Raven said. Rotbart immediately tensed up.

"Duchess." Sparrow said with a grin.

The former villain of the Swan Lake story stared at Sparrow with an unusual look on his face. "You gave my charm to Duchess?" He said slowly. It was impossible to read the tone of his voice, but Raven winced nonetheless. Rotbart had never really confessed his feelings about Duchess to her, but she had always suspected that she wasn't the _only_ reason her brother wanted to take her destiny instead of his own.

Sparrow, however, was oblivious. "It was pretty, sparkly, and swan-shaped. I got **major** points for that. OOOOWW! I STOLE HER HEART, YEEAH!"

Rotbart sighed. "Well...tell her it came from me." He said shortly. "She won't want it then."

"And whatever you do, DON'T tell her it'll change Apple back!" Raven cautioned. She knew that Duchess would be all too eager to switch places with Apple.

"Fine." Sparrow said as he sauntered out the door. "As long as I don't have to deal with the _other_ Swan Princess. I'll leave the chasing to you, my fiendish friends." He smirked.

"AND **HURRY**!" The two sorcerers yelled. Sparrow yelped and booked it out of there.

"Some hero _he'll_ be." Rotbart muttered after Sparrow disappeared. "Let's go." He told his sister.

"Hey, You OK?" Raven asked in concern as he started to leave the room.

"Aside from the fact I could get expelled for hexing that bitch? Fine. Why wouldn't I be?" He said bitterly.

Raven wisely decided not to pry regarding Duchess. "No reason." She said. "Although you shouldn't call Apple a bitch."

"You're right. She's a royal bitch." Rotbart said.


	15. A Wild Swan Chase

**A Wild Swan Chase**

Rotbart and Raven headed downstairs to look for clues of Apple's whereabouts outside the tower where Rotbart and Sparrow lived. As they half walked, half ran down the winding stairs, Raven asked: "Do you know where she is now?"

Rotbart turned to give his sister a puzzled look. "What?" He said.

"Do you know where Apple is now?" Raven repeated.

He snorted. "Your guess is as good as mine."

"But, don't you know how to track swans?" Raven pressed.

Rotbart gave his little sister a look. "No." He said dryly. "Who do you think I am? The big bad wolf?"

"Well, your dad always boasted that he knew exactly where his victims were at all times..."

"I'd hardly call Apple a victim." Rotbart said as he scowled at the thought of the annoying, stuck-up princess that had caused so much trouble today.

"...So I thought he'd have taught you how." Raven finished.

"Dad had waaaaaay too much time on his hands." Rotbart said shortly. He didn't elucidate further, but Raven got the message: the previous Swan Lake Sorcerer always knew the last Odette's precise movements because he _enjoyed_ spying on her, not because he was gifted with some sort of freaky Swan Sense that he could have passed on to his son. _That would have **helped** though!_ Raven thought ruefully.

"Don't worry. We'll find her." Rotbart said. "There's lot's of ways to skin a cat. Or swan." He added wickedly.

"ROTBART!"

"Fine." Rotbart sighed. "I'll kill her later."

* * *

><p>Once they reached clearing outside the tower, the two siblings searched the area for clues.<p>

"Hey! I found something!" Rotbart shouted. He held up a large white-as-snow-feather.

"Hexcellent! Are there any more?" Raven asked.

"Yeah, look!" Rotbart separated the bushes to reveal a trail of swan feathers heading towards the main courtyard. Raven couldn't help but feel immensely relieved. Tracking down Apple was going to be a lot easier than she thought!

* * *

><p>When Raven and Rotbart got to the main courtyard, they found it was in disarray. Students were picking up dropped school supplies, cleaning up the remnants of ruined picnic lunches, and pulling feathers out of their various belongings.<p>

But the biggest mess in the courtyard was Holly O'Hair. She was crying and shaking and her normally perfect auburn hair was covered in tangles and feathers. Her sister Poppy was trying to comfort her and do damage control.

"It's OK, Big Sis." She was saying as she tried to comb out the tangles. "It's not _that_ bad..."

"But...it hurt SO MUCH!" Holly blubbered. "And I just _know_ it gave me split ends!"

"Holly! Poppy! What **_happened_**?!" Raven asked.

"A BIRD HAPPENED!" Holly wailed. And then she started weeping like a true damsel in distress.

"Yeah, some crazy swan flew in here and started attacking everyone." Poppy explained. "It got caught in Holly's hair for a moment and I had to beat it off with a hairbrush."

"Which way did it go?!" Rotbart asked.

"It went THAT way." Poppy said as she pointed towards the main hall.

"Thanks Poppy!" Raven said, and she and Rotbart dashed off.

"So much for Apple not hurting anyone." Rotbart muttered. But he secretly wished he had been there to see Apple get whacked with a hairbrush.

* * *

><p>The main hall was in an even worse state than the main courtyard. Once again people were trying to pick up their assorted messes and they all had the sort of dazed expressions that could be expected after encountering an insane swan.<p>

Rotbart immediately strode towards Hopper. "Hey! Frog-Boy! Where did the swan go?!" Rotbart demanded.

The future frog prince looked extremely startled and awkward. "Erm...uh...well..." He stuttered.

"Spit it out!" Rotbart barked.

"Rotty! There's no need for that!" Raven chastised.

POOF! Hopper lost his human form and regained his composure:

"Sorry about that, my villainous sir." The now-debonair frog apologized. "One tends to be at loss for words when confronted by very angry and powerful sorcerer of ill repute. I mean that in only the most complimentary fashion."

"Thanks." Rotbart said shortly. "Now can you tell us which way the swan went?!"

"That way." Hopper pointed. And it was now fully apparent to the young sorcerers that Apple had left a very distinctive trail of chaos.

"Wow. That's some mess." Raven observed.

"It had terrible manners." The Frog Prince sniffed.

* * *

><p>But that mess was nothing. The trail of destruction led them to the castleteria and it hadn't looked so bad since the great food fight following Legacy Day.<p>

"Whoa..." Raven breathed.

"If she makes this much of a mess as a swan, imagine what she'll do as a politician." Rotbart said.

"Uh, excuse me," Raven said to the three billy goats. "Did you see which way the swan went?"

The three goats all pointed in different directions.

"OK, how about you guys?" Raven asked the three little pigs.

But they all pointed in different directions too.

"That lot couldn't find their way out of a barnyard." Rotbart said in disgust.

Raven turned to a spaghetti-splattered Lizzie Hearts. "Did YOU see the swan?" She asked.

"Yes. AND OFF WITH IT'S HEAD!" She shouted.

"YES!" Rotbart shouted in agreement.

"ROTBART!" Raven yelled. "Which way did she go?" She asked Lizzie.

Lizzie angrily pointed towards the field where Hero Training class was currently being held. And much to Raven's horror, a dragon was sitting in the middle of the field.

"Hurry!" She told Rotbart. And she desperately prayed that they wouldn't find a baked Apple there.

* * *

><p>What they did find was a very frightened dragon and several shaken would-be heroes. And one very pissed Prince Charming.<p>

"AAAARRRG! Just look what that thing did to my beautiful, _beautiful_ hair!" Daring howled.

Raven stared at the mess on Daring's head while Rotbart laughed his head off. "Is that..." She began.

"Uh-Huh." Rotbart managed to get out in between his booming, hysterical, somewhat sinister laughter. He knew what_ that s_tuff was alright. _This. Is. PRICELESS._ He thought. Seeing the big prince on campus like that was almost worth the possibility of getting expelled!

Raven rolled her eyes. "Grow up." She told her brother. "Anybody see where she went?" Raven asked.

"The forest!" Someone offered.

"Come on!" Raven shouted at Rotbart. "Stop laughing. This is serious!"

"Seriously funny!" Rotbart howled as he followed her.

"HAR-UMPH." Daring said.

* * *

><p>But the trail wasn't quite so obvious in the forest. In fact, there wasn't a trail at all! And after searching for what felt like hours, even Rotbart began to feel seriously scared.<p>

_Aw, Grimm...what I've really **lost** that royal bitch?_ He thought.


	16. Found

**Found**

While Raven and Rotbart were desperately searching for Apple, Apple was feeling pretty desperate herself. When she heard that Sparrow had given away her only shot at being human again, she reached a whole new level of panic. She was so flooded with fear that she couldn't think straight and all she wanted to do was escape the room of the guy that had done this to her. And since Raven, Sparrow, and Rotbart were all blocking the door, the open window was the next best option.

Of course, the minute Apple ran through the window, she realized just how far away the ground was. Luckily, instinct took over and she managed to pull up, right before concluding her swan dive with a swan-smashing splat.

And she just kept flying. And when she found herself in the school courtyard she starting begging anyone, and everyone, to save her. But of course, no one understood, and just thought they were being attacked. And it was just bad luck that the wind had blown Holly's hair in Apple's path at the worst possible moment.

Once she had escaped from Holly's surprisingly precarious mane, Apple had flown into the school, desperate to find help. But no one stepped up. Instead, everyone ducked and screamed. Apple felt like screaming too.

Exactly what had happened in the castleteria was all a blur now to Apple. And she couldn't remember precisely what happened when she flew into the Hero Training course. Except that she knew she HAD to defend herself against that awful dragon. And she wondered if she had..._relieved_ herself during her struggle to preserve herself, but she immediately dismissed that thought; even in the most dire of circumstances, the fairest-of-them-all wouldn't do anything as undignified as THAT.

And now she was all alone. She knew that one day her story would require her to be all alone in the woods due to her villain's nefarious actions. But that was supposed happen _after_ high school! And she _**wasn't** _supposed to be a swan!

_And Grimm dang it, that nasty Rotbart isn't supposed to be in my story at **all**!_ Apple thought. She vowed that she'd find away to make that jerk sorry! When she was queen, she'd lock him in the dungeon for life.

Suddenly, Apple heard voices. And one of them sounded very familiar.

"Oh Hunter!" Someone sighed.

_That sounds like Ashlynn!_ Apple thought. But what would she be doing with Hunter Hunstman all the way out here? That seemed weird. Still, Apple quickly waddled towards the sound of her friend's voice.

* * *

><p>Apple found Ashlynn and Hunter having a picnic in a sunny clearing. And if Apple didn't know better, she could have sworn it was a romantic picnic. But Apple didn't take time to ponder that just now.<p>

"Ashlynn! ASHLYNN!" She honked. Ashlynn tore her eyes away from Hunter and turned towards Apple.

"APPLE?!" She shouted in disbelief. "Is that _you_?!"

"Yes! It's **me**!" Apple honked. She was overjoyed to finally have someone recognize her. It was a very good thing that she had run into Ashlynn; although most fairytale princesses were very good with woodland creatures, the daughter of Cinderella was one of the few princesses that could actually talk to animals.

"Wait, that's Apple?!" Hunter said in confusion. "What _happened_?!"

"Yes, what happened?!" Ashlynn repeated.

"Rotbart happened." Apple hissed darkly.

Ashlynn's eyes widened. "Rotbart? Your new villain?" She asked.

"He's not _my_ villain!" Apple honked. "He's the bane of my life!"

"Uh, isn't that the same thing?" Ashlynn said.

"No!" Apple hissed. "That big meanie turned me into a swan!"

"But **_why_**?" Ashlynn pressed.

Suddenly, Rotbart burst into the clearing. His eyes lit up when he saw Apple and he broke into a relieved smile. "Hey, I found her!" He yelled to Raven. He turned back to Apple and knelt down. "Thank godmother we found you. What were you thinking by running away like that?!"

"I was thinking that I wanted to get away from YOU!" Apple hissed. And she ran and hid behind Ashlynn and Hunter's legs.

Rotbart frowned as he stood back up. All his happiness at finding Apple quickly evaporated. "What a charming damsel in distress." He dryly remarked to Ashlynn and Hunter.

Hunter glared at him. "What did you do to her, you creep!" He demanded. He was going into full hero mode right now.

Rotbart raised a single eyebrow. "I turned her into a swan." He said. "Any other questions, Captain Obvious?"

Hunter flushed a little bit. So much for looking heroic in front of his lady. He quickly recovered: "Yeah...well, WHY did you do that to her, you creep?!"

"Because he threw a hissy-fit like a little baby when she tortured him with her singing, lost control of his powers, and accidentally zapped her, that's why!" Raven interjected as she came into the clearing.

"RAVEN!" Rotbart and Apple shouted (and honked) in indignation.

"Well, it's true. I told you two this prank war would get out of hand. And now you're in danger of getting expelled and you're in danger of being stuck like this forever." Raven said to Rotbart and Apple. "I want to fix this mess, and I need _you_ to stop antagonizing people and I need _you_ to stay put! You got that?!"

"Fine." Rotbart said sullenly.

"If he tries anything again, I WILL run." Apple honked.

"Uh, she agrees." Ashlynn fibbed.

"Good." Raven said. "Now all we've got to do is find Sparrow and see if he got Duchess to give that charm back."

"As if!" Duchess's voice suddenly said.


	17. ANOTHER Complication

**ANOTHER Complication**

Everyone whirled around to see a very smug and VERY malicious-looking Duchess Swan. And a very sheepish Sparrow Hood behind her.

"SPARROW! You _told_?!" Raven shouted in disbelief.

"Ummm...I HAD NO CHOICE? OOOOOHH YEEEAAAH..." Sparrow halfheartedly sang. If looks could kill, Raven would have murdered Sparrow with the daggers that shot out of her violet eyes.

"And you! What do you mean '_As if_?!'" Hunter shouted at Duchess.

"Why Hunter, isn't it obvious?" Duchess purred. "I think Apple would be _perfect_ as the next Swan Princess. And I think _I'd_ even better as the next Snow White!"

"You can't DO that!" Raven yelled.

"Who's to say I can't?" Duchess challenged. "Thanks to you, Raven, _anything_ goes! I thought you'd _like_ to see someone else flip the script. Isn't this what you wanted?"

"No! I just didn't want to hurt anyone." Raven said. "OR see anyone else get hurt! Duchess, you can't condemn Apple to live as a swan!"

"But it's OK for _me_?" Duchess spat.

"I didn't say that!" Raven retorted. "Look, you can _not_ be a swan if you don't want to, but don't make Apple do it!"

"Never thought I'd see _you_ of all people taking her side." Duchess remarked snidely. "I thought you'd _want_ her out of the way."

"NO! Didn't you hear what I just said?! I don't want to hurt _anyone_!"

"So you say." Duchess smirked.

Raven tried to appeal to Duchess's better nature. "**_Please_**!" She pleaded. "How can _you_ of all people wish your story on another person? You know better than anyone how sad it is!"

"True. But it's not just some person I'm wishing it on. It's Apple White!" Duchess said maliciously. "And that makes it all the better! Plus I gain her Happily-Ever-After, command of the entire United Fairytale Kingdoms, _and_ this really lovely piece of jewelry." Duchess said as she lovingly fingered the crystal swan charm around her neck.

"You can't!" Ashlynn gasped.

"And it doesn't _work_ like that!" Hunter added.

"I'll **_make_ **it work!" Duchess retorted.

"Well, you forgot one other thing you'll be gaining." Rotbart suddenly said. He had been silent ever since he saw Duchess. But now he knew it was time to do take action. Even if he didn't like it.

"What's that?" Duchess asked.

He took a deep breath, steeled himself, walked right up to his unrequited love, looked her in the eye, and gave her the most villainous expression he could muster.

"Me." He said.


	18. Various Threats

**Various Threats**

Duchess just stared at Rotbart for a moment. "What?" She finally said.

"Think about it Duchess." Rotbart said airily. "I abandoned the Swan Lake story to join the Snow White story. And if you take Apple's place, that means you'll be stuck with little old **_me_ **in your story again. Me, who has a _particular_ dislike for happy endings. And a certain flair for preventing them." He added darkly.

Duchess's eyes widened. This didn't make any sense to her. Rotbart claimed that he wanted to leave their story because he didn't want to cause her pain, and now he was _threatening_ her?! "But-but...you _said..." _She sputtered.

"I say a lot of things." Rotbart said as he managed to hold on to his villainous persona and shove down any lingering feelings for Duchess. "But I don't always _mean_ them." Private emotional turmoil aside, Rotbart wasn't going to let Duchess reveal that he ditched his original role to spare her. Especially not in front of Apple. He had a nefarious image to keep!

He continued: "Now if you're so hell-bent on having Apple suffer, you had best relinquish that charm now and let her story continue. You really don't want to be in **her** shoes now, Twinkle-Toes!"

Duchess scowled and glared at her erstwhile, would-be foe. But nonetheless, she felt he had a good point.

"Fine." She huffed as she took off the crystal swan charm and threw it at Rotbart. "Take your silly old trinket. Make her suffer."

"Wise decision." He said as he caught the charm effortlessly. And just for good measure, he thought he ought to throw in a parting shot to make it look good. "Besides, you'd make a lousy Snow White."

Duchess's eyes narrowed. "And why is that?" She said dangerously.

"Fairest of them all you are not." He said coldly.

Duchess was furious. "How dare you?! I'm ten times prettier than that sack of feathers!" She yelled.

"HEY! How dare YOU?!" Apple honked.

"Tell it to a magic mirror." Rotbart snapped. "Now leave before I decide to swan you and Chicken Hood." He said as he produced a glowing fist.

"YIPES! Let's get outta here!" Sparrow yelped as he dragged Duchess away.

"Gah! You're such a coward!" Duchess told him as they disappeared into the forest.

"Whew! Good thinking, Rotty!" Raven told Rotbart once Duchess and Sparrow were out of earshot.

"Yeah, whatever." Rotbart said moodily. "Let's just get this over with..." He said as he pulled out the stopper on his swan charm.

"Wait, hold on." Raven said as she pulled out her phone. "There's something I need to do first."

"What's that?" Ashlynn asked.

"Insurance." Raven said. She hit the video app on her phone and cleared her throat. "Ahem. This is Raven Queen speaking. I am now recording Rotbart Von Schwarz who has recently turned Apple White, the crown princess of the U.F.K. and future Snow White, into a swan."

"RAVEN!" Rotbart yelled.

Raven continued: "You will also note that Apple is the same swan who caused so much havoc at school today."

"RAVEN!" Apple honked.

"And what's more, Apple is in fact the same swan that crapped on Daring's head." Raven added.

'WHAT?!" Ashlynn and Hunter exclaimed together.

PLOP. Apple fainted dead away.

"None of this would had happened if these two had listened to me about pranking each other in the first place." Raven said. "So I'm putting an end to this right now. If either of you pranks the other again, Godmother help me, I will show this video to Headmaster Grimm AND Blondie Lockes."

"Raven are you **blackmailing** me?" Rotbart said in disbelief.

"Yes. Yes I am. If that's what it takes to keep you in school." She said.

He grinned at her. "I should be pissed, but I'm way too impressed."

"Yeah, well, don't get used to it." She said. "Does Apple need to be conscious for you to change her back?" She asked.

"Nah." He said as he knelt down and poured a single drop of potion on her feathered head. And with a flash of sparkling, light-blue magic, Apple was her old princess-perfect self again.

"There." He said. He considered her unconscious form for a moment. "You know, she really DID look better as a bird." He commented.

Raven rolled her eyes. "You like _everybody_ better as a bird." She turned to Ashlynn and Hunter. "Can you guys take her back?" She asked.

"Sure." Hunter said.

"Hexcellent. And tell her what she missed when she comes to: if she tries pranking Rotbart, I WILL make that video public." Raven didn't like making that threat, but she knew it was the only way to keep Rotbart AND Apple from killing each other.

"Alright," Ashlynn said as she and Hunter carried Apple away. "We'll tell her."

"Thanks guys! See ya!" Raven called after them.

"I still can't believe you blackmailed your own brother." Rotbart said to Raven once Ashlynn and Hunter had left. "Mom would be so proud."

"I guess. But I did it with good intentions." Raven replied. "Like how you tricked Duchess into giving up that charm by saying that the Snow White story wouldn't have a happy ending with you in it. Erm...you _**were** _bluffing, weren't you?"

"Maybe." Rotbart said slyly.

"Rotbart..."

"OK, fine. I was bluffing. I know I can't kill that royal pain. At least not permanently."

"Good. And promise me that you won't bother her until it's time for your story."

"I promise." Rotbart said.

* * *

><p>Apple begrudgingly made the same promise when she woke up and learned what Raven planned to do if the great prank war ever resurfaced. And so peace was restored at Ever After High.<p>

But the young princess and sorcerer privately felt that this new-found peace was very dull, despite everything that had happened. Still, they made an effort to keep out of each other's way.

But fate was determined to bring those two together again.


	19. Rotbart's Mistake

**Rotbart's Mistake**

A couple weeks after the day that would be branded in everybody's memories as "swan day," Rotbart decided to go out for a swim in a nearby lake. He never liked swimming at the main EAH pool; there were always too many silly princesses parading around in bikinis and too many idiotic heroes showing-off for them for his taste. He much preferred the quiet and solitude of the forest lakes, and had visited nearly every single one of them at one time or another.

Today, however, Rotbart chose to visit a completely new lake. One that was rumored to be completely off-limits to students and members of the Bookend community.

_Rules are for good guys._ Rotbart thought as he brazenly ignored the "No Swimming" sign that was posted on a nearby tree. And he proceeded to strip naked, just as he had always done at his father's lake as a boy.

As he floated and leisurely tread water, Rotbart thought of all sorts of things: his dad, and how he used to swim with him. His mom, and how she was doing in mirror prison right now. Raven, and the interest that she had been showing in that Charming guy lately. Not Daring, of course; the one that looked more like a hipster. Rotbart supposed he was alright. The younger Charming reminded him a lot of his step-dad: boring, but nice. Which was probably why Raven liked him so much.

He also thought about Duchess, mainly out of habit. After all, he had secretly longed for her for over three years. And after leaving his original story and confessing his feelings to her, Rotbart had done his best to move on with his new direction in life. But old habits die hard.

Nonetheless, he found that he was less enamored with Duchess each passing day. Especially after the events of "swan day." He knew that she was bitter about her story, but he never thought that she'd try and _force_ anyone else to adhere to it. Her attitude had certainly diminished her appeal for him.

_She really isn't much better than Apple._ He thought to himself. Duchess was just another bratty, selfish, high school mean girl. It was embarrassing to think that he had spent so much time mooning over her.

And then Rotbart's thoughts drifted to Apple. He wished that Raven hadn't blackmailed him; he kind of missed tormenting that uptight, little snob. Today would have been the perfect day to scrape muck off the lake floor and then leave it in her shoes. Or send her a bouquet that contained some of the Poison Ivy that grew by the shore. Or collect some swamp slime to decorate her desk with.

Suddenly, an unpleasant odor wafted through the air. _Blech! **Or** I could've bottled this stench and replaced her perfume with it._ Robart thought.

But then Rotbart stopped to sniff again. That nasty scent was familiar. What was it? Was it something he had smelled in the forest before? Was it something he had been exposed to in class? Was it something from his childhood? Rotbart just couldn't put his finger on it. But he knew he had smelled that smell before...

And when something bit his ankle, it all came back to him: Bog Snappers! Nasty, lake-dwelling creatures that Professor Babba Yaga had brought in for her Care and Training of Minions class...

_"Don't even **bother** trying to add these to your evil army." Professor Yaga had said as she gingerly set down the cage. "They are utterly un-trainable and entirely snap-happy." The ugly little creature suddenly emitted a loud, horrible fart with a tiny cackle of glee. "Blech! AND they stink to high heaven!" Professor Yaga added as she ran to open a window. _

Too late, Rotbart realized that this lake was FULL of Bog Snappers! They kept snapping away at his arms and legs like piranhas and farting like nothing else. Rotbart could barely swim for the shore and keep them at bay.

"Scram! Shoo! Get outta here! OH NO YOU DON'T!" He yelled as he blasted them with dark blue magic. But they still kept coming after him. One even managed to clamp onto his left arm for a while and another one got a second chomp on his right ankle. Rotbart gritted his teeth through the pain and swam on.

At last, he managed to get the shore and gave the school of Bog Snappers a parting shot that sent them squealing to the deepest part of the lake. Exhausted, Rotbart collapsed on the beach and examined his wounds. Most of the bite marks weren't too bad, but there was no denying that the Snappers had done a lot of damage on his left arm and right ankle. Normally, Rotbart would fly to school with the help of his magic cloak, but that was currently at the dry cleaners for its yearly cleaning. And given the damage on his arm, Rotbart didn't think he could fly back as an owl. He'd just have to drag himself to the nurse's office as quickly as possible.

He groaned and reached for his clothes. But they were gone! He heard giggling in the distance and saw a couple of naughty gnomes making off with his shirt.

"HEY! BRING THAT **BACK**!" He roared as he tried to blast the gnomes with magic. But they were too fast for him, and quickly disappeared into the forest.

Rotbart collapsed on the shore again from sheer rage and frustration. Now he fully understood why this lake was off-limits to the public.

_Great. Just fucking great._ He thought. _I'm wounded and naked in the middle of the woods. Can this day **get** any worse?_

"Yoo-hoo! Is everything alright?!" Someone called.

Rotbart's entire body tensed. He knew that sugary-sweet voice. It was the voice of the very last person he wanted to see:

Apple White.


	20. An Awkward Predicament

**An Awkward Predicament**

"Hello?" Apple called again.

Rotbart could feel himself sweating bullets. He was injured, naked, and Apple White, queen bee of Ever After High and the girl who hated his guts most, was headed right this way! His mind quickly envisioned every conceivable outcome of this encounter, and none of them were good. Most of the scenarios he pictured involved terrible public humiliation or unbearable blackmail.

_ It would be just like her to make me be her manservant for a week!_ He thought bitterly as he imagined giving her pedicures against his will. _And then she'd probably tell her friend Blondie anyway!_ No, there was no way he'd let her see him like this!

_Unless, she didn't **know** it was me!_ Rotbart suddenly thought. He quickly concentrated his magical energy, and turned himself into an owl. He checked the feathers on his chest and rearranged them to hide his swan charm, which would have been a dead give-away. And he pulled himself up onto his now talon-ed feet and tried to look as innocent and owl-like as possible.

At that point Apple walked onto the beach. "Huh. That's funny..." she said to herself. "I could have _sworn_ I heard something...".

"Who-Who." Rotbart said as he preened himself and tried to act natural.

And then Apple said something that Rotbart never thought he'd hear her say to him:

"Oh, you poor darling!"

Rotbart nearly jumped out of his feathers. "Who, ME?!" He said. But Apple only heard "Who-WHO?!"

"What _happened_ to you?!" Apple asked.

Rotbart looked down at himself and remembered that he was still bleeding from his left wing and right foot. This hadn't escaped Apple's notice and she was all concern.

"Poor little fellow, something NASTY must have got a hold of you!" Apple said. Rotbart nodded his head slowly, unsure of where this was going.

And before he could object, Apple quickly scooped him up and put him in her basket.

"It's OK." She told him. "I'll take care of you."

""WHO?!" Rotbart said. But what he really meant was: "WHAT?!"

Things had just taken a turn for the awkward.


	21. Apple Plays Doctor and Hostess

**Apple Plays Doctor and Hostess**

As Apple carried Rotbart back to Ever After High, Rotbart was trying to wrap his mind around the situation. His future victim, and current enemy, was saving him! It was humiliating, bewildering, nerve-wracking, and a huge relief, all at the same time. Rotbart could easily imagine his villainous parents' reaction if they knew that a _princess_ was rescuing him:

_"Darling, villains don't **get** rescued. We make sure that **other** people need to be rescued."_ His mother would say. _"And then we make sure it doesn't happen!"_

_"__Выдурак ! Никто не экономит колдуна. Особенно не принцесс__." _His father would say.

On the other hand, getting a ride back to school in a princess's basket as an owl sure beat trudging back as an injured, naked human. And he couldn't help feeling surprised; he thought that Apple would just leave him alone in the forest as a bird. But apparently he had misjudged the princess's capacity for kindness.

_Of course, she wouldn't do so if she knew who I **really** am._ He said to himself. And he wondered what she planned to do with him. He hoped that she would just drop him off at the nurse's office. Or with Professor Papa Bear. Or Ashlynn Ella. Someone with some medical expertise or experience with animals. And someone that would be much less inclined to freak out if his identity was revealed.

_If I'm lucky, this ride will be the end of it._ He thought.

"Now don't you worry," Apple told Rotbart. "I'm going to take care of you myself!"

"Whooooo..." Rotbart groaned. Today was just **not** his day.

* * *

><p>Rotbart had been in Apple and Raven's room many times before to set up various pranks for Apple, but this was his first time as an invited guest. Apple gently set him down on her bed and got out a first-aid kit.<p>

"Now this may sting a little bit..." she said as she poured some antiseptic on a cotton ball. "But we can't have germs getting into your widdle feetsies."

_Don't worry. This can't hurt **nearly** as much as my pride._ Rotbart thought as he let Apple clean his right talon.

"Wow, you didn't flinch at all!" Apple praised him as she got out the bandages. "You're sure a brave one."

_You have **no** idea._ Rotbart thought.

"And you're so pretty too." Added Apple as she bandaged his foot.

"WHO?!" Rotbart blurted out.

Apple giggled. "YOU silly, that's who. You're the prettiest owl I've ever seen!"

Rotbart just gaped at her. He couldn't believe this. APPLE WHITE had just called him _pretty_! Could this day GET any weirder?!

"You're even prettier than Rotbart's owl, and he was a cutie." Apple continued. "Too bad he has to live with a bully like Rotbart." She added darkly.

Rotbart had to fight back every urge to bite her for that remark.

"Well, at least _you're_ safe with me." She said. "Now let's have a look at that wing..."

* * *

><p>Half an hour later, Rotbart was clean, bandaged, and sitting on one of Apple's pillows while she made some tea. She brought him a little plate of plain biscuits and said: "I know owls like to eat mice, but I'm afraid I can't get you any. I hope this will do for now."<p>

Rotbart picked up one of the biscuits with his free talon and started munching away. It was actually pretty good and just what he needed after his exhausting encounter with the Bog Snappers.

"Thanks." He hooted.

"You're welcome." Apple said as if she understood. "You're quite polite for an owl; I've never seen one eat the way you do."

Rotbart stiffened and wondered if he should have tried to pick up the biscuit with his beak instead. But luckily, Apple didn't seem suspicious at all.

"But I guess it makes sense, because you're so pretty. Anything as pretty as you would _have_ to have good manners." Apple said.

Rotbart looked away in embarrassment. The only people that had ever complimented him on his appearance before were his mom and sister. But they had never called him "pretty." In ANY circumstance!

"You **_are_ **pretty!" Apple insisted after Rotbart looked away. "Especially your eyes. I've never seen a creature with eyes like yours before."

Rotbart stiffened again. One unusual thing about his owl transformation was that his eyes remained the same color as his human eyes. And no other owl had ice-blue eyes like him.

"You know, with your appearance, bravery, and good manners, you could be a prince in disguise." Apple said. "Shall I kiss you and find out?"

"NO!" Rotbart (literally) screeched as he scooted away from Apple, his eyes wide in shock.

Apple laughed. "Oh you silly! I'm just kidding, I know you're not a prince." She said.

_Fuck **NO** I'm not!_ Rotbart thought.

"Frogs turn into princes, not owls." Apple said. "Besides, I have a prince already."

_If you could ever pry him away from a mirror._ Rotbart thought.

"Well, not yet." Apple admitted. "Not until my story starts. And until I can pry him away from a mirror. But he'll grow out of it in time." She said confidently.

Rotbart personally doubted that. It was hard for him to imagine Daring Charming loving anyone but himself.

"And even though he may not be the most attentive prince right now, at least I can count on him." Apple said. "Unlike Raven."

Rotbart eyes narrowed. He didn't want to sit around and listen to Apple talk trash about his sister. But it looked as though he had no choice.

"She's my roommate," Apple explained as if Rotbart didn't know. "And the daughter of the Evil Queen. And she's supposed to poison me someday since I'm the daughter of Snow White. But she won't because she claims she doesn't want to be evil. And it's so selfish!"

Rotbart glared in disgust. _You wanna see selfish?_ He thought. _ **You** take a look in a fucking magic mirror._

"I mean, what if our story goes poof?" Apple said. "And it means the end of me, Raven, Daring, the seven dwarfs, and Hunter? I mean, nothing's happened now, but that doesn't mean it couldn't some day."

_Yeah, and maybe the earth will deflate and become flat again._ Rotbart thought sarcastically. He couldn't believe that people actually _believed_ that crap.

"And I _really_ can't afford to go poof!" Apple said. "I'm supposed to be queen; everybody's counting on me to take over and take care of everyone as a leader."

_I'm sure the nation will survive._ Rotbart thought dryly. But at the same time, he felt himself gaining a little respect for Apple; in some ways, she wasn't quite as selfish as he thought she was. She really did seem to care about the well-being of others. Albeit in a very misguided fashion.

"And to make matters worse, Raven somehow got a guy named Rotbart to take her place." Apple said bitterly. "He's originally from the Swan Lake story."

_No shit._ Rotbart thought.

"And while Raven isn't evil enough, he's _too_ evil!" Apple said. "He's tricky, powerful, scary..."

_Oh you flatterer._ Rotbart thought.

"...And really, REALLY mean!"

_Still sticking with **that** adjective, huh?_ Rotbart thought. Mean seemed inadequate to describe a villain of his upbringing.

"I'm scared that when he poisons me, he'll do it for good." Apple admitted. "And that would be just as bad as going poof!"

_And a lot more likely._ Rotbart thought.

"But Raven says he won't. And she got him to change me back after he turned me into a swan, so I guess she'll make him stick to it. I don't know _how_ she has so much control over him!"

_She doesn't. _Rotbart thought stubbornly. But deep down he had to admit that his goody-two-shoes sister had a funny way of bringing out his better nature. Blackmail aside.

"And at least he's WAY better then that little pig Raven tried to recruit as a replacement first."

_He wasn't recruited, he **volunteered**!_ Rotbart thought. That little pig was a pathetic excuse of a villain. But it was just like Raven to let him try anyway.

Still, it was nice to know that Apple really respected him as an antagonist.

"No, Rotbart's really a **big** pig." Apple said with finality.

And once again, Rotbart struggled not to bite her nose off.


	22. Raven to the Rescue

**Raven to the Rescue**

When Raven returned to her room later that evening, she was greeted by a familiar sight; Apple studying on her side of the room with what looked like yet another doting forest creature in tow.

"Hey Apple." Raven said.

"Hello!" Apple responded cheerfully. Despite Raven's decision to reject her legacy and Apple's disapproval of Raven's decision, the two girls still made an effort to get along. Raven couldn't find it in her heart to hate Apple and after cooling down after the initial outrage of Raven ditching their story, Apple held on to the hope that she could change roommate's mind about destiny by getting to know her better.

"Whoo! WHOO!" The animal by Apple's side suddenly said. And as it limped forward, Raven could see that it was an owl.

"Who's this?" Raven asked.

"I found him in the forest today. The poor little sweetie hurt his wing and foot, but with a little love and care, he'll be back to normal in no time." Apple said.

"Whoo! WHOO!" The owl repeated urgently.

"Wow, sure is excitable, isn't he?" Raven remarked.

"It's OK, B.B.." Apple cooed to the agitated owl. "This is Raven's room too. And even though she's a villain, she won't hurt you."

Raven rolled her eyes. "I'm NOT a villain." She said with the air of someone who has had to reiterate an obvious fact over and over again. "And why B.B.?"

"I came up with that just now." Apple chirped happily. "It stands for Baby Blues. See how pretty his eyes are?"

Raven looked closely at the owl (which seemed disgusted by its new name). "Yeah, they are..." She said. _And **familiar**_, she thought. _Where have I seen eyes like that? _She wondered. "What kind of owl is he?" She asked.

"I don't know. But he's beautiful isn't he?" Apple said as she stroked him. It didn't escape Raven the the owl seemed uncomfortable with Apple touching him.

"Erm...yeah..." Raven responded slowly. _That's weird._ She thought. She had never seen an animal that didn't like Apple before. Well, save that dragon she attacked two weeks ago.

"And he's one of a kind! He's the perfect pet for me!" Apple declared.

The owl's eyes widened and he began to screech and hoot furiously as if he was outraged by the idea.

"Uh, Apple?" Raven said over the din. "I don't think he likes that very much."

"Oh, poor B.B., did I ruffle your feathers? I'm sorry; I'll got get a nice brush to smooth them out again." Apple said.

"That's not what I meant..." Raven began.

"I'll go see if Ashlynn has anything good for birds." Apple said. "I'll be back in a minute!" And she bustled out of the room.

Raven turned to the owl once Apple had left. "Hey, what's your problem?" She asked. "Do you not want to be a pet?"

The owl stopped shrieking, glared at her, tore a page from Apple's notebook with his good talon, grabbed a pen and scribbled:

_**NO!**_

"You can write?!" Raven said in surprise.

_It's me, Rae._ The owl wrote.

"It's me, _who_?" Raven asked in bewilderment.

The owl gave Raven a look of contempt and pulled back the feathers on his chest with his good talon to reveal a sparkling, crystal swan charm.

"ROTTY?!" Raven shouted. "What happened?! What are you **_doing_ **here? And like **_that_**?! Are you trying to prank Apple again?!"

Rotbart furiously shook his head as he hid the swan charm in his feathers again. _ Get me OUT of here!_ He wrote as soon as his talon was free again.

"I'm back!" Apple said as she walked into the room with Briar Beauty and Blondie Lockes at her heels. "There he is," she said proudly to her BFFAs.

"Wow, he's really cool!" Briar said appreciatively.

"Oh definitely, I'd say he's just the right pet for you!" Blondie gushed.

"I know, right?" Apple said. "And once we give you a nice grooming with this brush we found in Ashlynn's pet care kits, B.B., you'll be the fairest of the birdies!"

Rotbart looked as though he was about to explode from humiliation, rage, and fear, and Raven knew that she had to act fast:

"UH-OH." Raven said deliberately and loudly.

The three royals turned to stare at her.

"_Uh-oh_?" Said Briar.

"What do you mean _uh-oh_?" Asked Blondie.

"I just remembered where I've seen that owl before." Raven said.

"Really, where?" Asked Briar.

"And why _uh-oh_?" Added Apple.

Raven blurted out the first thing that came to mind:

"In General Villany. He's cursed."


	23. The Curse of the Blue-Eyed Owl

**The Curse of the Blue-Eyed Owl**

"A CURSE?!" The three royals gasped. Raven nodded her head.

"What kind of curse?" Asked Blondie.

"And how do you know?" Added Briar.

"He doesn't look cursed to me!" Apple said.

"Uh... a very bad kind of curse." Raven fibbed. "Like I said, I learned about it in General Villainy. And of course he doesn't _look_ cursed, that's the point."

"_What_ point?" Blondie asked.

"The owl _looks_ beautiful, so people want to take him home as a pet. But after a while, the curse sets in and they regret it." Raven explained.

"What exactly _is_ this curse?" Briar asked.

"Ohhhh...erm...it's **_really_ **bad." Raven said.

"But what KIND of bad?" Blondie pressed

"Yeah, there's all _kinds_ of bad." Briar pointed out. "Bad-hair-day bad, flunk-a-test bad, have-your-zipline-break bad, fall-asleep-in-the-middle-of-a-party bad, I HATE that one..."

Raven blurted out the one thing that was guaranteed to convince Apple not to adopt Rotbart as her pet:

"Destiny-altering bad!"

"WHAT?!" Apple shrieked.

"You're kidding!" Briar said.

"THAT thing can re-alter destiny?" Blondie added in disbelief.

"Yup. When a person adopts a blue-eyed owl as a pet, their destiny goes majorly off-track." Raven said with all the authority she could muster.

The three royal girls stared at Rotbart in horror.

"Oh my Grimm, Apple!" Blondie said. "You can NOT keep it!"

"No way!" Briar said. "I mean, your destiny's been affected enough already!"

"It's just not right!" Blondie added.

"Raven, is there anyway the curse can be lifted?!" Apple asked urgently.

Rotbart stared at Apple. _She **still** wants to keep me?!_ He thought in disbelief.

Raven shook her head. "I'm afraid not. It's a genetic thing and there's no way to get rid of it."

"Oh." Apple said sadly.

"You'll have to let him go, Apple." Raven said gently. "You've done a lot for him already, but he can't stay."

"Absolutely not!" Blondie said emphatically.

"Look, I'll take him to Baba Yagga." Raven offered. "She'll know what to do with him."

"OK...but can I say goodbye first?" Apple asked.

"Uh...sure?" Raven said. Apple picked up Rotbart and whispered into his ear hole:

"Goodbye, B.B.. I don't know why, but I like you very, **_very_ **much. Even though I haven't known you very long. I want to keep you with me for always, but now I know I can't do it. Like I said, I have a responsibility to my subjects, and I have to put that first. Even when I don't like it. Anyway, I hope you'll get well soon and be happy forever after. And if I could break the curse on you, I would." And then she quickly kissed him on his head.

"Apple, don't _kiss_ that thing!" Blondie said. "The curse might rub off on you!"

"It doesn't _work_ like that!" Raven said as she took a very stunned Rotbart from Apple's arms. "Apple will be fine now. You'll see."

"Come on Apple," Briar said in an effort to cheer her BFFA up. "We'll find you another pet!"

"Yeah, one that _isn't_ cursed!" Blondie said.

* * *

><p>"I still can't believe it!" Raven said to Rotbart later that day. She had carried him back to his room and now he was in human form and redressed and re-bandaged.<p>

Rotbart glared at his sister. "What can't you believe? And be very careful before you say it..." He said dangerously.

"Right," Raven scoffed. "Like you'd attack me after I saved you from a life as B.B. the owl."

"I would have escaped _some_ time..." He growled defensively.

"Come on, you were BEGGING me to get you out of there!"

"Humph. Well...what IS it you can't believe?"

"That Apple wanted to make YOU her pet!"

"That's not so unbelievable. I'd make a very good-looking pet." Rotbart said. Although he still had a hard time believing that Apple found him _that_ attractive as a bird. Were his eyes _really_ that appealing?

"Yeah, but can you imagine what would've happened if Apple found out?!" Raven said.

"I'd rather not." He groaned. He would have probably wound up stuffed. At best.

"Yeah, some things aren't worth pondering." Raven agreed. "Besides, it's much more fun to imagine what your life would have been like as B.B.." She added with a wicked-little-sister grin.

Rotbart glared at Raven as she airily continued: "it would have been quite a life, Rotty. Think about it. Tea and biscuits every day, being carried on satin pillows, having your talons done at the beauty parlor, cheery ribbons around your widdle neck, and, best of all, your sweet princess singing you to sleep every night. You'd have _loved_ that wouldn't you?" She teased.

"What I'd love is for you to shut-up!" He said as he threw a pillow her.

"Pillow fight? Oh it is on like fairy song!" Raven said as she hurled one back.

"You'd throw a pillow at an injured man?!" Rotbart said in mock shock as he threw it back. "And I thought you wanted to be a good guy!"

"You're not a injured man. You're a pain-in-the-butt!" Raven playfully retorted as she smacked him on the head with another pillow.

"Doofus!"

"Jerkface!"

"Sissy!"

"Stink-Brain!"

"Barf-Bag!"

"B.B.!"

"HEY!"

And the two sibling collapsed on the floor laughing. Just as they always did after a pillow fight.

* * *

><p>But that night, as Rotbart got ready for bed, he had to admit that Raven was right; it seemed incredibly ironic that Apple should love him as a bird and hate him as a human.<p>

_I guess birds really **are** better than people._ He thought as he recalled how Apple kissed him goodbye. But humans were also pretty interesting; it was funny for him to think that someone who could be so shallow, petty, and selfish could also be so caring, generous, and selfless at the same time. Clearly, there was far more to Apple than Rotbart had initially thought.

_I suppose Apple White really **is** a heroine after all._ He admitted to himself.


	24. The Wager

**The Wager**

A couple weeks after Raven took "B.B." away, Apple found an unwanted visitor in her room when she returned from class early. Her least favorite person in the world.

"YOU?! WHAT ARE **YOU** DOING HERE?!" She yelled at Robart's back. She should have known that that asshole couldn't stay away forever! And now she had caught him red-handed. He was SO in for it now!

Rotbart turned around to give Apple a look of contempt. "Hello, princess." He said coldly. "I was just leaving."

"Yeah, leaving something _awful_, no doubt!" Apple snapped. "What did you do to my room _this_ time?!"

Rotbart rolled his eyes. "Believe it or not, princess, not every minute of my waking day is focused on you. I know that this may be difficult for your little crowned mind to comprehend, but it's true." He smirked at Apple's furious expression. "I came to drop off a package, and that's ALL."

"Another one of your little _presents_, I presume?" Apple spat. "Get it out of here! I don't want it."

Rotbart glared at her. "Weren't you listening, genius?" He said. "This. Has. NOTHING. To. Do. With. YOU." He held up the purple package for Apple to see. "See? It says: Raven Queen. NOT: Apple White. Got it?"

Apple narrowed her eyes and crossed her arms. "And why would _you_ give Raven a package?" Apple asked suspiciously.

"Because it's her _birthday_." Rotbart said condescendingly. "And that's what you **do** on birthdays. Any more bright questions, princess?"

"I don't appreciate your tone of voice." She said haughtily.

"I don't care for yours either." Rotbart quipped.

"And you're lying; it's not Raven's birthday!"

"Oh really?" Rotbart said. Apparently little-miss-perfect was just bound and determined to prove he was up to something. Well, he'd show her! "How much you want to bet?"

"What?" Apple said. She was very much taken aback by that.

"How much you want to bet?" He repeated. "If you know so much."

"I know everyone's birthdays." Apple said.

"Oh, I don't think you do." Rotbart said smugly. "What's mine for instance?"

He had her there, and she hated it. "Everyone in MY year." She clarified. "And anyway, princesses don't bet."

"But they **do** play pranks and crap on princes' heads."

Apple turned bright red from embarrassment and rage. 'WHY YOU...".

"AND, they can get people's birthdays wrong."

"I DON'T!" Apple shouted.

"Fifty bucks says you can."

"Ha! A hundred bucks says I _don't_!" Apple said petulantly.

Rotbart grinned. "A hundred bucks and fifty bucks says you DID!"

"Two hundred bucks says no way, no how!"

"A three hundred dollars and a spa day for the birthday girl says YES way, YES how." Rotbart said impulsively.

"And if I win?"

"I'll leave your story. For good."

Apple's eyes lit up. This was a chance she couldn't pass up. "You're on!" She said.

"Excellent." Rotbart said. "Now how are you going to prove that I'm lying?"

"I'll ask Raven."

Rotbart snorted. "_Her_? Seriously?"

"And why not?" Apple demanded.

"What makes you think she'll tell you the truth?" Rotbart challenged. "How do you know she isn't corroborating with me?"

Apple opened her mouth to say that Raven would _never_ go along with him, but then she stopped. For some weird reason, Raven WAS very close with Rotbart, despite her desire to be good. The idea of her siding with him wasn't entirely impossible.

"Alright." She said. "Blondie then. Blondie knows everything here. _Including_ birthdays!"

Rotbart laughed aloud at this.

"What's so funny?!" Apple said indignantly.

"Oh come on, _**Blondie**_?! That blonde, butt-licking toady?! She'd say that the sky was red if it made you happy!" Rotbart chortled.

"You take that back!" Apple yelled. "She's my friend!"

"Exactly." Rotbart said.

And once again, Apple had to admit that Rotbart had a point; Blondie WAS incredibly biased when it came to her.

"Well, who do YOU suggest then?" She said angrily.

"Really? You'll let me pick someone who I _know_ will lie on my behalf?" Rotbart said innocently.

"Of course not!" Apple snapped. She paced as she thought aloud. "What I need is someone who will tell the truth in no matter what...". She suddenly brightened. "Cedar Wood!"

"Ah. _Now_ you're using that royal brain of yours." Rotbart said.

"Hush." Apple said as she pulled out her phone and started dialing Cedar. "I'm about to get YOU out of my story once and for all!" She said triumphantly.


	25. Hope

**Hope**

Apple could scarcely believe her good fortune as she waited for Cedar to pick up her phone. She was going to be free of Rotbart! _Free! _He'd leave her story, and her life, and she'd never have to worry about him again. And once he was out of the picture, she'd persuade Raven to do the right thing and embrace her destiny as the wicked queen. She was sure Raven would come around in time, especially if it was clear that there was no alternative.

And due time, Apple would get to live out her glorious family story. Raven would try to kill her, Hunter would save her, the seven dwarfs would take her in, Raven would find her and poison her, Daring would save her with True Love's kiss and propose, and then she'd finally get her promised happily-ever-after! No more fear. No more uncertainty. And then Apple would take over as queen and spend the rest of her wonderful life caring for her people and raising her daughter to be the next fairest-of-them-all.

_It'll be perfect,_ she thought. _Absolutely perfect! _She hadn't felt this happy and hopeful since Legacy Day.

"Hello?" Cedar's voice said on the other end.

"Hi Cedar, it's Apple!" Apple announced. "Sorry to bother you, but I have a little dispute to settle." She said with a pointed look at Rotbart. Rotbart just stood there smirking at her.

"Uh...OK..." Cedar said.

"I just want to know: is today Raven's birthday?" Apple asked. She smiled as she anticipated Cedar's inevitable "no."

"Yes." Cedar said.

"That's what I thou-wait, YES?!" Apple said in disbelief.

"Sure. Maddie and Cerise and I are taking her out to dinner tonight. I'm just wrapping her present right now." Cedar replied. "Why do you want to know?"

Apple didn't say a word and hung up. Her face was a mixture of anger, embarrassment, and bitter disappointment.

Rotbart, on the other hand, looked extremely smug.

"Well?" He said.

"Well, what?" Apple muttered.

"Don't you have something to say?"He prompted.

She glared at him, furiously pulled her purse, and wrote a check for three hundred dollars. "Here." She said shortly.

"And?" He said as he took the check.

"I'll arrange for the spa date."

"AND?" He pressed.

"What ELSE do you want?!" She snapped. "I was WRONG, OK?!"

He grinned. "Just wanted to hear you say that. Here," he said as he gave her back the check. "Pick up the tab for their dinner tonight."

And then he swept past the confused and angry Apple and walked out of her dorm room.

"Goodnight princess." He said as he walked away. "False hope is the best kind of hope in my book." And his sinister chuckling echoed a bit in the hall.


	26. Apple's Assumption

**Apple's Assumption**

**"AAAAAARRG!"** Apple fumed as soon as Rotbart was out of sight. She felt incredibly stupid for believing that he would actually leave her story; she should have _known_ that there was no way he'd make a wager like that unless he was sure he'd win. That bastard had just been toying with her.

_Duchess was right._ She bitterly thought. _ Swan Lake Sorcerers WERE the worst!_ And once again, she marveled at how her roommate could stand a jerk like him.

And that got Apple thinking. Why _was_ it that Raven could tolerate Rotbart? What kind of influence did she hold over him? Why would he go out of his way to get her a birthday present and make Apple pay for spa treatment and a birthday dinner? And why did he offer to take her place as Apple's villain in the first place?

Apple White was not a normally curious girl, but she suddenly found herself itching to know what kind of present Rotbart had given Raven. Of course she couldn't open the package; that would be unprincessly! And Raven would surely notice. But there was a card that was tucked underneath the silver ribbons; Apple could easily slip it out, slip it back in, and Raven would never be any the wiser.

_I'll just take a quick peek._ Apple thought as she pulled out the card. _That won't be **so** bad._ And she quickly read it:

* * *

><p><em>Dear Rae,<em>

_When I was poking about Dad's old place last summer I found a box of old stuff that belonged to Mom. I guess Dad could never bring himself to get rid of it (he was a lot more sentimental than he let on). Anyway, there were some beautiful things that I thought Mom would want you to have. Don't worry, none of it's cursed, I checked. They're just pretty, precious family things._

_Have a Happy Birthday you Precious Doofus,_

_Love,_

_Rotty_

* * *

><p>Apple tentatively shook the box and she could hear a faint clunking and rattling. A faint clunking and rattling that sounded like jewelry to her. And she was <em>definitely<em> willing to bet on that!

Rotbart had given Raven jewelry?! Jewelry that had belonged to his _mother_?! That was a **_serious_** gesture of affection! Of course, it didn't occur to Apple that Rotbart and Raven's mother could be one and the same. And so Apple swiftly reached the following conclusion:

Rotbart must be in love with Raven. And given what she had seen of them, it was quite likely that Raven returned his feelings. THAT was why she could stand him. THAT was why he listened to her above all others. THAT was why he went all out for her birthday. And it MUST be why he so willingly switched destinies; he had done it for Raven. He had done it for love! Although it did seem weird that Rotbart would refer to his paramour as a "precious doofus." But Apple assumed that that was some strange form of villainous endearment.

Apple was stunned. She couldn't believe it. That nasty, sneaky, smug asshole was secretly a romantic! And the kind of romantic that most princesses would long for. When it came to Raven he was loyal, thoughtful, sentimental, and selfless. She never would have thought he was capable of all that.

And as a die-hard romantic herself, Apple had to admire that.

_Maybe he isn't a complete asshole, after all. _ She admitted to herself.


	27. The Yule Ball

**The Yule Ball**

Weeks passed, and soon it was time for Ever After High's annual Yule Ball. As a would-be villain, Rotbart didn't care much for Christmas and he _really_ didn't care for most high school dances. But he liked the Yule Ball. In fact, he liked it so much, he wouldn't think of spoiling it in any way.

The EAH Yule Ball was a very grand, formal affair; mostly because the event was organized by characters from the Nutcracker. Rotbart enjoyed elegant things (despite his love of immature pranks), and he could always trust other ballet characters to provide them. And although most of the characters from the Nutcracker could be sickeningly sweet (particularly the ones from the Candy Kingdom), they sure knew how to throw a gala.

Of course, this year wouldn't be quite as much fun for Rotbart without Ratty. Ratty was the son of the Mouse King and Rotbart's good friend and idol. When Rotbart first came to EAH, upperclassman Ratty quickly took him under his wing. Although Ratty didn't have several heads as most of predecessors did, he was an undeniably wicked soul and Rotbart was always in awe of his panache and daring. Ratty had graduated the previous year and Rotbart hadn't been able to find another male friend of his caliber since (there were very few guy villains at EAH this year and most of the hero-types annoyed Rotbart ). But at least Ratty was always in touch via e-mail.

And as Rotbart got dressed for the ball, he received a message from his old friend:

_Dear Rotty,_

_I'd say Season's Greetings, but neither of us are into all that nonsense. So instead I'll say: Greetings, you fiendish sack of feathers!_

_Things are so-so here in the land of sweets; the local marshmallows are all making their usual fuss over Christmas and making all of us ill in the process. Mater hexed a bunch of carolers yesterday; now they all have permanent frogs in their throats! I can't wait to wage war on these people._

_So how are things in the tenth circle of hell? As uptight as ever, I presume (Godmother, was I glad to escape). Does Grimm still have a stick up his arse? Is your sister still determined to be good? And how are things working out with that new story of yours? _

_Anyway, have a good time at the ball tonight, old sport! If you see Nathan, say hi for me (and be sure to tell him that he's still a blockhead). And have some camembert for me. And brie. And cheddar. And gouda. And wenslydale. You get the idea. _(Rotbart rolled his eyes. Like all mice-people, Ratty was crazy for cheese).

_Cheers,_

_Ratty _

_Same old Ratty._ Rotbart thought. And he longed for the day when he too would graduate and leave Ever After High. No more rules, no more narrow-mindedness, and no more idiotic royals (save Apple, of course, but he had resigned himself to that). Most of the rebels were tolerable in Rotbart's book; his sister was one, and at least they were committed to making things interesting. But he could definitely do without all those entitled princes and princesses and their various lackeys. _They_ were the ones that made high school more hellish than usual.

But he could deal with them for the sake of an evening of culture.

* * *

><p>Before Apple's destiny had been changed against her will, she hadn't taken any notice of Rotbart. But now that he was her antagonist, she found herself keeping a cautious eye on him during the ball. While she laughed with all of her friends and admirers, she kept glancing at the young evil sorcerer. Just to make sure that he wasn't doing anything dastardly.<p>

But Rotbart did nothing of the sort. It looked like he went out of his way to insult Nathan Nutcracker at one point, but that was it. He mostly just stood by the buffet table and watched everyone around him with an amused expression. As if he was secretly _laughing_ at them all (which was absolutely true).

He looked very regal in his magnificent blue and silver suit and feathered cape. If Apple didn't know who he was, she might have mistaken him for a Prince Charming. But when he caught her looking at him and gave her a wicked grin and small, sarcastic bow, she immediately changed her mind; no prince would _ever_ have such a sinister, cynical smile!

Most of the villainesses seemed impressed by him though. Several of them approached him, but he rejected them all. He talked to Raven a couple times, but he made no effort to dance with her. Apple was puzzled by this, but she quickly assumed that Rotbart, in spite of all his composure, was self-conscious about his dancing.

Of course nothing could have been further from the truth. Rotbart was a born danseur, like all the Swan Lake Sorcerers before him. He just felt no need to show off at the moment. He was content to watch all the other ballet characters prance about this evening. And to watch everybody else try to keep up with them.

Rotbart watched Sparrow with particular disdain. His roommate was a terrible dancer and he tread on Duchess's toes multiple times as she tried to lead him in a waltz. _Such a waste._ He thought. And he wondered what on earth Duchess could possibly see in that jackass.

Eventually, Sparrow's pitiful attempts at dancing became too painful to watch, and Rotbart decided to step out on the veranda for a breath of fresh air.

It was a trivial decision. But Rotbart could have never fathomed the consequences.


	28. The Discovery

**The Discovery**

As Rotbart was admiring the winter scenery and enjoying the chill of the night, he noticed someone trying to sneak by him out of the corner of his eye.

"Good evening, princess." He said without turning around.

_Drat!_ Apple thought as she stopped in her tracks. She had really hoped that Rotbart wouldn't notice her; every encounter with him always seemed to leave a bitter, humiliating taste in her mouth. But she couldn't really ignore him now.

"Good evening." She said stiffly. And she braced herself for the inevitable conflict. At least her friends and followers were all in the ballroom and readily available as back-up if need be.

But Rotbart didn't say anything right away. He continued studying the landscape like a great painting. For a whole minute, the sorcerer and princess stood in complete quiet.

Rotbart was fine with silence, but Apple found it extremely uncomfortable. So she decided to break it, against her better judgment.

"Have you seen Daring?" She asked. The reason Apple had stepped outside in the first place was that Blondie wanted to film Apple and Daring dancing together for her mirrorcast show. But Apple's Prince Charming was nowhere to be found.

Rotbart turned around and looked at her quizzically. "You're asking _me_?"

"Yes…" Apple said warily as she wondered where he was going with this.

"Do I **_look_** like I keep track of pompous pretty boys?"

Apple crossed her arms and frowned. "Well he's not exactly hard to miss. Being the best-looking prince and all." She said haughtily.

"According to him." Rotbart quipped.

"And _everyone_!" Apple snapped.

"Then everyone has exceptionally poor taste." Rotbart airily replied.

"You're just jealous!" Apple accused.

Rotbart could barely keep his jaw from dropping. "Me?! _Jealous_?! Of **_him_**?!" He said incredulously. It was quite easily the most ridiculous thing that anyone had ever said to him. "_WHY_?"

"Because he's the most handsome and chivalrous prince in the land." Apple said with the certainty of a fairytale princess. "He's destined for greatness and glory."

"Because he wakes you from a coma?" Rotbart sarcastically asked. "Fucking-whoopdie-doo." He pitied any guy that was destined to be stuck with Apple White forever after. Even if he was a dumbass like Daring.

Apple opened her mouth to chew him out but was interrupted by a strange noise. A strange, heavy, primal, grunting sound.

"What **_is_** that?" Apple asked after a minute or two of listening.

"Beats me." Rotbart said. "I think it's coming from below."

"Below the veranda?" Apple asked.

"Uh-huh."

"Do you think it's a troll?"

Rotbart gave her a withering look. "Trolls live under bridges. NOT verandas."

"Well, they _could_!" Apple said defensively.

"But they **don't**." Rotbart retorted.

"And what makes you…" Apple stopped when she heard the grunting turn into words:

"Yes…Yes…Oh yes…YES…"

Apple knew that voice. And Rotbart was pretty sure he recognized it too. The two fairytale teens slowly looked over the edge of the veranda. To the area beneath the curved steps on the right. To the little alcove that was private, but a little too public to truly be a good hook-up spot.

Lizzie Hearts was going for Daring Charming's head.

And not the one on his shoulders.


	29. Another Reaction

**Another Reaction**

Rotbart grimaced in disgust. He didn't realize that this was what the curious Wonderland expression "Off-with-your-head" meant. And he was glad that he had never accepted Lizzie's previous advances towards him. The whole thing seemed utterly tasteless.

When Rotbart tore his eyes away from the horny, oblivious pair, he looked over at Apple. Her face seemed even whiter than usual, her eyes were wide, and her dainty mouth was gaping like an endless cavern. She was barely breathing and she was so still, Rotbart momentarily wondered if she had died standing up.

"Uh…princess?" He said tentatively. But Apple didn't respond at all. Her stillness was absolutely terrifying.

It was then that Rotbart realized that he was essentially standing next to a ticking time bomb. He quickly backed off and tried to prepare himself for the unavoidable explosion.

_There'll be blood._ He told himself. _Lots of it._ _When she screams, every hero will charge out of that ballroom and fight Daring to the death. And all her girlfriends will shred Lizzie to pieces. Or she'll sic every creature in the forest on them. Or call her mommy's firing squad. Or she'll just kill them herself, right here and now. _

That last one seemed the most likely at this point. If Apple could take on a dragon as a swan, there was no telling what she could do with opposable thumbs and the fury of a princess scorned. And as crown princess of the U.F.K. and the darling of Ever After High, Apple would probably avoid all charges of voluntary manslaughter.

Yes, there was no doubt in Rotbart's mind. Lizzie and Daring were as good as dead.

But then Apple did something completely unexpected. She soundlessly ran for the woods.


	30. The Fallen Snow White

**The Fallen Snow White**

Apple ran. And ran. And ran. Out into the cold, snow-covered forest, far away from what she had just seen. She kept running because she knew that if she stopped for a moment, she would scream with anguish and never be able to stop.

Her mind was racing even faster than her body, and it was all a frightening blur. _Daring. Lizzie. Grunting. Heaving. Moaning. "Yes." "Yes." Trollish. Disgusting. Obscene. Shameful. Intimate. Heartbreaking. Betrayal. Denial. Forbidden. Responsibility. Obligations. Lost. Pain. Sadness. Fear. Loneliness. Death._ All these words added up to Apple White's worst nightmare:

_Uncertainty_. And Apple ran even faster to escape it.

* * *

><p>Rotbart didn't know why he felt obligated to go after Apple. And he was amazed at how quickly he lost her (she could move surprisingly fast for a girl wearing a ball gown and high heels).<p>

"Princess! PRINCESS!" He called. But there was no answer. _Damn it._ He thought. _This is like Swan Day all over again. _Except the last time he went looking for a distressed Apple White, he was searching on a sunny autumn afternoon. Not on a frigid winter night.

And he had help. He considered hurrying back to the ballroom to get Raven, but he quickly dismissed the idea. Someone might overhear and the last thing he needed were people assuming that he had done something awful to Apple. Besides, there was no time to waste.

**"PRIN-CESS!"** He bellowed at the top of his lungs. And he listened all around him. But he could hear nothing but the night wind. And the forest was getting darker by the second. Rotbart cursed his weak human senses.

But maybe he'd have better luck in another form. He quickly transformed into his owl form and glided through the trees as he continued his search.

* * *

><p>After what felt like hours, Rotbart finally spotted something in a clearing. Something that looked like a sobbing, shivering, pile of red, silk tatters and disheveled blonde hair. He swooped down and landed right in front of Apple.<p>

"Who?" Rotbart said softly. Apple looked up in surprise.

"B.B.?" She said faintly. And then she passed out from cold and exhaustion.

Rotbart transformed into his normal form and quickly picked Apple up. He was no doctor, but it looked like Apple was suffering from hypothermia. Even if he tried flying as a human with his magic cape, he couldn't carry Apple as dead weight all the way back to EAH. And she needed help right now! He looked around for a safe, warm place.

And then he spotted the abandoned cabin.


	31. The Reluctant Hero

**The Reluctant Hero**

The old, tiny cabin was almost too convenient to be true. Especially since it had a little stove, some dry firewood, a single couch, and a couple tatty blankets.

But even with the shelter, fire, place to rest, and blankets, there wasn't enough warmth. Not enough to ensure that Apple would survive. And Rotbart REALLY didn't want to wind up with a dead princess on his hands. Not now, anyway.

Besides, he wouldn't wish this kind of end on anybody. Not even on his worst enemy (which Apple officially was). Like nearly everyone at Ever After High, he had assumed that Daring, despite his destiny as Apple's prince, didn't truly care for her, and vice versa. But now it seemed that only fifty percent of that assumption was true. Apple was clearly heartbroken; her pain seemed to be engraved on her face, just as a dead man's final moments would be engraved on to his.

No, royal-pain-in-the-neck or not, Rotbart couldn't let any person die like that! And he found himself doing something that he'd never thought he'd do in a million years:

He ripped off the wettest, coldest pieces of Apple's dress until her once-sumptuous ball gown looked more like a little red slip. He took off his own jacket and shirt, held her close to him, and wrapped his shirt, jacket, the two old blankets, and his feathered cloak around both of them to create as much warmth as possible.

Rotbart wasn't sure which part of this experience was weirdest. The fact that he was acting like a hero, the fact that he was saving Apple White, the fact that he was alone with a scantily clad girl in the middle of the woods at night, or the fact that that scantily clad girl happened to be Apple White. His Wicked Queen mother would have a conniption if she knew.

Although Apple would probably have even **_more_** of a conniption when she came to. But he would cross that bridge when he came to it.

Rotbart did his best to put all of his awkwardness aside, and he drifted to sleep as he tried to keep Apple warm.

* * *

><p>Apple woke up briefly in the middle of the night. She was extremely groggy and still very tired from all her running. She was dimly aware that she was in a small, unfamiliar place with a little stove. And that someone has holding her and gently snoring into her ear.<p>

Apple didn't remember everything that had happened just now, but she somehow knew that it wasn't Daring that was holding her like this. But she was strangely OK with that. Whoever this hero was, Apple instinctively trusted him. And he smelled really good.

So Apple snuggled into her rescuer's arms and soon her dainty snoring joined his.


	32. A Rude Awakening

**A Rude Awakening**

Apple had always been earlier riser, and the morning after Rotbart saved her was no exception. The first rays of daylight made her eyes flutter open and she got a good look at where she was. And a good look at who her rescuer was as well.

**"AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHH!"** Apple screamed.

Rotbart was jolted awake and he immediately turned into a chicken. **"BRA-BRAAAAAAAAAAAWK!" **He squawked in alarm. And he and Apple frantically tried to escape the cocoon of clothes and blankets that he had created. Apple's mouth went a million miles a minute as she fought her way out:

"OhmyGrimm, WHAT'S GOING ON?! Where am I? How'd I get here? Why am I here? Why are YOU here? Why are you _touching_ me? What happened to my dress? What did you do to my dress?! Are these _your_ clothes? AND WHY ARE YOU A CHICKEN?!"

By this point Rotbart had managed to worm himself free and was now calm enough to change back into his proper form.

"Ohgodmother, those **are** your clothes!" Apple said as she noticed Rotbart's topless state. "What happened?"

"Princess…" Rotbart began.

"What HAPPENED?" Apple shouted again. "Tell me! I order you to tell me want happened!"

"Princess…"

"I swear, if you don't tell me exactly what's going on right now I'll…"

**"GET A HOLD OF YOURSELF WOMAN!" **Rotbart roared. His outburst immediately shut Apple up. "You ran away from the Yule Ball." He explained. "You ran into the woods, wouldn't stop, and nearly got yourself killed from exhaustion and hypothermia. Typical dumbass princess move."

Apple glared at him. "But why are YOU here?" She demanded.

Rotbart sighed. "I went after you." He said shortly.

"Why?"

"I just did! And I found you in this snow, brought you to this cabin, and tried to keep you from freezing. That's the only reason we look like this, I swear."

Apple stared at him. "Wait…you mean _you _saved me?" She said slowly.

"Yeah. Typical dumbass hero move. I'm not proud."

Apple was absolutely flabbergasted. "But-but…WHY?! You **hate** me!"

"Yeah…well…" Rotbart struggled to think of a good, evil reason for his regrettably heroic actions. "I can't have you die of natural causes." He finally said. "_I'm_ supposed to kill you."

Apple crossed her arms defensively. "No, you're not…I keep telling you, my story isn't supposed to have you at all! _Raven_ is supposed to kill me, then Daring is supposed to save me, and…."

Apple stopped. All of last night's events came flooding back to her. And the most prominent of these events was catching her prince with another girl.

**"OHMYGODMOTHER, I'M GONNA DIE!"** She screamed.


	33. The Promise

**The Promise**

Rotbart stared at the hysterical princess. "What do you _mean_ 'you're gonna die'?!" He said in disbelief.

**"Daring doesn't love me!"** Apple wailed.

"That doesn't mean you'll **_die_**…".

"Yes it does!"

Rotbart rolled his eyes. For a straight A-student, Apple was sure acting like an idiot. "Look, you can't die from a broken heart, that's just a myth…"

"No! You don't understand!" Apple interjected. "Daring doesn't love me."

"So?"

"So he can't be my True Love!"

"No kidding?" Rotbart said sarcastically.

"And that means I don't **_have_** a True Love." Apple continued. "No True Love means no True Love's kiss. No True Love's kiss means no broken spell. No broken spell means eternal slumber. And eternal slumber means **DEATH**!" And then Apple crumbled to the floor, sobbing.

Rotbart was silent. Apple actually had a good point. No wonder she was so scared. He felt kind of bad for automatically dismissing her fears. And there was something about seeing her sobbing on the floor like a frightened child that filled him with pity. He knelt down beside her and said:

"Apple. Look at me."

Apple looked up and was surprised to see that there wasn't a bit of smugness, sarcasm, or spite in Rotbart's face.

"I know you need to live." He said. "I know you've got people that are counting on you to go through with that story and come out of it alive and married. So I'm going to make you a promise."

Apple's eyes widened in confusion. Rotbart continued:

"I promise that I won't try to harm you in any way until you get another prince."

Apple was stunned. "I don't believe it." She finally said with a hostile frown.

Rotbart frowned back. "And why not? I **_did_** just save your life. The least you can do is take me seriously." His pity was quickly evaporating.

"You're just messing with me again!" She snapped. "I know I can't replace Daring." She added mournfully. "He was perfect."

"Guys who let girls other than their unofficial fiances suck their dick are FAR from perfect." Rotbart pointed out. "And you got another villain; why can't you get another prince?"

"But it was never supposed to **_be_** like this!" Apple passionately declared for the umpteenth time.

"Snow White was never supposed to be blonde either! How about that?!" Rotbart shot back.

Apple burst into tears all over again. Rotbart could tell that he hit a deep sore spot and his pity returned. This profoundly sad girl wasn't really so different from his own sister. In her own way, Apple had been struggling with expectations all of her life too. Everybody wanted her to be exactly like her mother, and she just couldn't do it. Just like how Raven couldn't be evil.

"Look, I'm sorry." He said.

Apple stared at him again. _Did Rotbart just __**apologize**__?! _She thought.

"I mean, it shouldn't matter that you're blonde." He continued awkwardly. "Or that I'm not daughter of the Wicked Queen. Or who your True Love is. What matters is that you're meant to be queen, I'm ready to help you play your part, and that you have a real True Love at the end. And I'm telling you that I won't go through with the story until you're guaranteed a happy ending."

"What's the catch?" Apple asked cautiously.

"No catch. None at all."

"Really?"

Rotbart paused for a minute. "Well, there is **_one_** thing…"

Apple sighed. She thought there would be. "What?" She said.

He grinned. "Just realize that you may not catch me when the story's all done."

Apple looked shocked. "Are you telling me that you'll keep me alive just so you can go free after poisoning me?!"

He shook his head. "Nope. I'm not even asking. I'm just saying. You can send the whole army after me, but just understand that you probably won't ever have the pleasure of throwing me in the dungeon."

"What makes you so sure of that?"

"You underestimate me, princess." He said with the pride of a powerful sorcerer.

"And anyway, how can I trust you?" Apple pressed. She remembered what he had said to Duchess Swan months ago about not always meaning what he said.

Rotbart looked her in the eye. "I swear on my powers." He said.

Apple gasped. Swearing on one's powers was the most powerful and binding promise that a sorcerer could make. If Rotbart betrayed her, he would lose all his magic! She had no choice but to believe him now.

"But why?" She asked. "Why are you promising me this?! Why should **_you_** care if I get a happy ending?!"

Rotbart paused. He couldn't think of a suitably evil reason, so he just went with the truth: "Because no one should die with a broken heart." He said sincerely.

_Of course he would say that_. Apple thought. _This guy really __**IS**__ a true romantic._ And she found herself envying Raven Queen. Just a little bit.

"So." He said.

"So." She replied awkwardly. She couldn't think of anything to say to this deeply complicated guy that had just saved her life in more ways than one.

"What are you going to do to Daring?" Rotbart asked.


	34. One Man's Revenge

**One Man's Revenge…**

"What?" Apple said. She was completely taken aback by Rotbart's question.

"What are you going to do to Daring?" He repeated.

"Oh. Well…um…." Apple hadn't given any thought to that. She had been too shocked and distressed to contemplate what to do next. "I suppose I'll have to confront him and tell him it's all over." She said.

Rotbart looked at her with disgust. "That's it? You're just going to give the guy a lecture and walk away?"

Apple bristled defensively. "I'll make sure he feels deeply ashamed for his actions. And I'll make sure that he knows that he'll never, EVER have any chance of winning me back. I think it's a VERY suitable punishment." She said with the confidence of an allegedly irresistible princess.

"Hardly." Rotbart said. "Come on, princess: it's obvious that Daring doesn't care about you. If he did, he never would've got involved with Lizzie in the first place."

Apple her mouth to argue, but immediately stopped as she realized that Rotbart was right. A mere guilt trip would hardly suffice in Daring's case.

"Besides, you can do WAY better than that." He said. "You pranked the hell out of me just for being **_in_** your story. Why don't you think of something epic to get back at the guy who wants **_out_**?"

"Like what?" Apple asked.

Rotbart grinned. "You could always crap on him again." Apple responded by whapping Rotbart with his own shirt. "OW! Okay, okay, I was kidding! But seriously, you know him better than me. What does he love most?" He asked.

"Himself." Apple immediately responded. "I could break all of his mirrors…" She thought aloud.

Rotbart scoffed. "That's boring. And mirrors are easy to replace. You need something more..." He trailed off as he tried to think of the right word.

"More what?" Apple asked.

"…Unusual." Rotbart said decisively. "You need something cruel and unusual."

"Cruel?" Apple said uncertainly. "I don't know…"

"What he did to you was cruel." Rotbart pointed out. "Dish it back."

"But, Mother always said an 'eye for an eye leaves the whole world blind.'" Apple said.

"So don't go for his eye. Go for his balls." Rotbart replied. "Besides, that philosophy never stopped you when it came to me, did it?"

Apple flushed in embarrassment. "That was different! You were mean to me **_first_**!"

"And **_he_** started this! What's the difference?!"

"But he never _meant_ for me to know!"

"But you do. So retaliate!"

Apple looked at Rotbart suspiciously. "Why are _you_ so keen on me taking revenge?" She asked.

He shrugged. "I like being the devil's advocate? And face it, you _need_ my insight."

"Why?"

"Because I'm **very** good at making people suffer." He said with a sinister smirk.

Apple flinched nervously. That evil smile of his still creeped her out. "I could go to Kitty, you know." She said. "She's good at pranks too."

Rotbart looked at her incredulously. "**_Her_**?! Are you kidding?!"

"What's wrong with her?"

"She's totally unpredictable. The only thing you can count on her to do is defend her Wonderland friends. And you _do_ know who her best friend is, right?"

"Oh yeah…Lizzie." Apple sighed. How could she forget that those two were best friends forever after? Kitty would _never_ stand for anyone messing with her friend's love life.

"Exactly. So I'm your best bet to make sure that Daring will rue the day he let his snake out of his tainted Eden."

"And what if I decide that I don't _want_ to take revenge?" Apple challenged.

"One man's revenge is another man's justice." Rotbart said. "And you want justice. Admit it."

Apple bit her lip. Deep down she really **did** want to get back at Daring for cheating on her, but she was worried; it was one thing to stand up to a bad guy by pranking him, but it was quite another to inflict something "cruel and unusual" upon another protagonist. Would that make _her_ a villain?

Rotbart continued: "What he did wasn't fair. And you shouldn't stand for it as fairest of them all." He almost gagged a little bit as he said those incredibly cheesy words, but he managed to keep a straight face. He didn't know why, but he REALLY wanted to see that princely prick suffer. And he figured that a trite line about the White family honor was just what Apple needed to push her into action.

And he was right. Apple got a determined look on her face and declared: "No, I _won't_ stand for it! I swear upon my destiny, I will make that cretin pay!"

"Woo-hoo!" Rotbart cheered.

"And what's more, I will let you assist me in administering a **_truly_** fitting punishment." She said with an uncharacteristically wicked smile. "A cruel and unusual one."

"YES!" Rotbart said. And once again, he found himself marveling at how much better that perfect little princess looked when she let her dark side out.

And then his cell phone rang.


	35. Travel Plans

**Travel Plans**

"What's **_that_**?!" Apple asked in alarm. She hadn't expected the Infernal Dance from _The Firebird_ to come blaring out of nowhere.

"Damn it…hold on…" Rotbart muttered as he searched for his phone in the multiple hidden pockets inside his cloak. By the time he finally found his phone, it had stopped ringing. But there was a frantic voice mail from Raven:

_"Rotty? Where **are** you?! We were supposed to have breakfast together before leaving for winter break, remember? But Sparrow said you never came back to your room. Call me when you get this, OK? Oh, and by the way, you don't know anything about what happened to Apple, do you? She never came back either. Everyone's freaking—."_ And at that point, Rotbart's phone completely ran out of power.

"Fuck!" He cursed.

"What is it? What's wrong?" Apple asked. "Who **_was_** it?!"

"Raven. She's worried that I didn't show up this morning." Apple nodded; that made sense. _Especially since they're in love._ She thought.

"And she's worried about you too," he continued. "**Everyone** is."

"Oh no!" Apple gasped. She could easily imagine the distress that her disappearance would inevitably cause. "They must be worried sick! We've got to get back right away!" She declared as she stood up and headed for the door.

"Nuh-uh!" Rotbart said as he quickly blocked Apple's way.

Apple stared at him. "What do you mean 'nuh-uh?!'" She half-shouted in disbelief. "We HAVE to go back!"

"Yeah, but not like THAT!" He retorted as he gestured at Apple's attire.

"Not like **_what_**?" She asked crossly.

"Princess, you look like an R-rated version of pre-ball Cinderella." Rotbart said bluntly.

Apple flushed in anger and embarrassment. "Well, yes, because of YOU!" She said defensively as she reached for a blanket to cover herself again. "But that's just the way it is, isn't it?" She didn't like the idea of trudging back in the snow like this, but she didn't think there was any choice.

"But that's not the point!" Rotbart said.

"Then what IS the point?!" Apple sighed in exasperation.

"The point is what would **you** think if one of your friends came back after being away for a whole night, with her clothes in tatters, and with a male villain in tow?"

"I'd think that she'd probably been…OH." Apple said as her eyes widened in realization.

"Exactly." Rotbart said darkly. "Your fans will lynch me first and ask questions later."

"But, we could explain what really happened…" Apple suggested.

Rotbart laughed aloud at this. "Do you really think anyone will believe that I saved you?!"

"Raven will." Apple pointed out. At this point, she figured that Raven would never go for Rotbart at all if she didn't know that he had a good side. However deeply hidden it may be.

"Sure." Rotbart admitted. "But who's going to believe the daughter of the Evil Queen about my inexplicable fit of conscience? _Besides_ that weirdo Maddie?"

Apple couldn't really think of anyone.

"No, we've got to get back without being seen." Rotbart said determinedly.

"How are we going to do THAT?!" Apple asked.

Rotbart thought for a moment as he fiddled with the swan charm around his neck. "I could try flying you back…" he thought aloud. "With my magic cloak."

"Really?" Apple said as she looked at the beautiful blue and feathered cape lying on the couch. "It can DO that?"

"Yeah. But on second thought, forget that." Rotbart said.

"How come?" Apple asked "It would get us there faster. AND we wouldn't have to walk in the snow!"

"But someone still might see us." Rotbart pointed out. "Two people flying through the air are hard to miss."

"Ooohhh…" Apple said. She quickly brightened, though, as she came up with another idea. "Can you make us invisible?" She asked.

"Only me." Rotbart said. "I'd need a potion to do it to you."

"Are any of the ingredients nearby?"

"Some. But not the not the most important one."

"Can't you fake it?"

"Fake it?"

"You know, find a substitute?"

"You can't find a substitute for chameleon extract for an invisibility potion, princess." Rotbart said dryly.

"OK, what if _you_ turned invisible and flew me back?" Apple suggested. "Then nobody would see you with me."

"But they **_would_** see you floating around in skimpy rags and ask questions." Rotbart said.

"Can't you repair the dress with magic?" Apple asked.

"Do I LOOK like a fairy godmother?" Rotbart said in disgust. "And what good would **that** do?!"

"It wouldn't look as bad, and people wouldn't get suspicious." Apple said.

"Well I can't." Rotbart said shortly. "Makeovers aren't exactly part of my evil repertoire. And even if they were, it wouldn't work."

"Why not?"

Rotbart growled in frustration and exasperation. "You seem to be missing the main point, princess. A flying Snow White, no matter how she is dressed, will. Attract. ATTENTION!"

Apple glared at him. "Then YOU come up with an idea!" She said. "If mine are so bad."

"Fine. A princess can't sneak worth shit anyway." Rotbart retorted.

"What do you **_mean_**, 'a princess can't sneak?!'" Apple burst out. "Of course we can!"

"No you can't. All you princesses just want to be noticed." Rotbart smirked. "You wouldn't know subtlety if it bit you on your ass."

"I **can** be subtle!" Apple said petulantly.

"Prove it. Come up with a **good** plan." Rotbart challenged. "One that **_doesn't_** involve flying princesses."

Apple was so peeved, she blurted out the first thing that came to her mind without thinking. "You can turn me into a swan and we'll fly back as birds!"

Rotbart stared at her. "Hey…that **IS** a good idea!" He said.


	36. The Flight of Shame (and Trust)

**The Flight of Shame (and Trust)**

"Wait! No-no-no-no-no-no-NO! I didn't mean it!" Apple protested.

"Really?" Rotbart said as he smirked at her. " You're taking back your one good idea?"

"It's NOT a good idea!" Apple insisted. "It's a **_horrible_** idea…"

"How so?" Rotbart challenged. "We get back fast, we avoid the all the snow, and nobody will notice your clothes or that I'm with you. What's so horrible about that?"

"Well…I think…erm…well, that is…." Apple couldn't think of a single reason as to why flying to campus as birds was a bad idea. She desperately hoped that Rotbart wouldn't guess her real objection.

"You just don't want to be a bird again, do you?" Rotbart said wryly. Apple flinched; so much for not revealing her fears. She vividly remembered her time as a swan and did **_not_** want to repeat the experience.

"Look, it'll be FINE. I've got the charm right here," he said as he pointed to the crystal swan charm around his neck. "No Duchess or Hood to screw things up. I transform you, transform myself, we fly outta here, head for your room, I change back, I change you back, you change clothes, I leave, and you come up with a nice little explanation for your absence. End of story. Happy ending all around."

"Umm…" Apple still looked hesitant.

Rotbart rolled his eyes. "Oh come on, princess; you **_still_** don't trust me?! "

"Well you're not exactly the trustworthy type!" Apple retorted.

"Not naturally, no, but let's face it: I've saved you from freezing, have sworn not to harm you until you get another hero, on the pain of losing my POWERS, might I add, and I'm **_trying_** to get you back without soiling your precious reputation. How much more trustworthy can I get?!" He half-shouted.

Apple winced. Rotbart was absolutely right. Villain or not, he had done a great deal for her and it wasn't fair of her to treat him this way.

"I'm sorry." She said meekly. "You're right; we _should_ do it. Go ahead." And she screwed her eyes shut and braced herself for the full-body change.

Rotbart stared at her for a minute. Did little-miss-high-and-mighty just say **_"sorry_**" to him? AND willingly admit that he was right?! He quickly regained his composure, though, and put on the rest of his clothes, channeled his magic, and transformed Apple and himself in record time.

"Are you done yet?" Apple asked. She had been expecting some sort of pain, like the first time she got zapped, but she hadn't felt a thing this time.

"Uh-huh. Take a look." Rotbart said. And then he suddenly remembered something. "Wait-wait! No, not yet!" He said hurriedly. "Keep your eyes shut!"

Apple frowned. "What's wrong?"

"Nothing. I just got a better idea." He fibbed. "Give me a sec." And Rotbart quickly chose a different bird besides his go-to owl form. After all, he couldn't let Apple to know that he was really "B.B." And then he decided that this particular bird form really _would_ be a better choice for Apple as well and quickly altered her appearance too.

"OK, NOW look." He said. Apple opened her eyes and saw that she and Rotbart were now falcons. Complete with sharp eyes, sharp beaks, sharp talons, and tapered wings.

"Oh!" Apple exclaimed in surprise as she looked at herself in a small shard of old broken mirror. This was not what she expected. "Why aren't we swans?" She asked as she examined her sharp talons. This choice of a bird seemed a bit unusual given Rotbart's heritage.

Rotbart couldn't grin as a bird, but his eyes glinted with humor. "You're not the only one that hasn't recovered from Swan Day, princess. Half of the school still flinches at the mere sight of swans." He teased. Apple glared at him and gave a little angry falcon screech.

"Good job. Very realistic." He said. "But seriously, falcons are the best choice."

"How come?" Apple asked.

"They're _**fast**_." He explained. "We'll be back in no time!" And he zoomed around the room to prove his point. "And NO one will mess with us." He added.

Apple trembled. "WHO will mess with us?" She asked waveringly.

Rotbart glared at her. "No one. I just said."

"But, we're so **small**!" Apple protested.

"**And** we're top predators. There's more to birds then just being cute and sitting on your finger, princess. Now get ready for take-off!" He said as flew up to the window and nudged it open. He turned back and looked at her expectantly. "You coming?"

Apple took a deep breath. She couldn't believe that she was entrusting her safety to the guy who intended kill her one day. But he was also the guy who saved her life. And she really didn't have much choice.

"Yes." She said. And she joined Rotbart on the window sill.

"Push off!" He said.

And the two birds soared into the brilliant blue winter sky.


	37. An Unglamorous Entrance

**An Unglamorous Entrance**

Meanwhile, Raven Queen was struggling not to panic. She was worried about Apple, like everyone else, but she was also extremely anxious about her brother's absence. She knew that Rotbart liked solitude and was capable of completely disappearing for days at a time if the mood struck him. But she also knew that he would never, EVER miss out on a pancake breakfast with her. It was a sibling tradition, right up there with pillow fights, cheesy horror movies, and going all out for Halloween. And Rotbart, despite his villainous nature, hardly ever broke promises to anyone, e_specially_ to her. No, Raven was convinced that something was very, VERY wrong!

"Come on, come on…PICK UP!" She muttered as she tried calling Rotbart's phone for what felt like the hundredth time that morning. And once again, she got her brother's sinister-sounding voice mail message:

"This Rotbart Von Schwartz. Leave your name and number and I'll get back to you. Or maybe I'll just get **you**…hehehhehheh…"

"Damn it!" Raven cursed as she hung up. "Rotty, where ARE you?!" She wondered aloud.

* * *

><p>"EAH, dead ahead!" Rotbart called to Apple over the wind.<p>

"Already?!" She said in surprise. Rotbart had been right about making the trip as falcons; it _had_ taken hardly any time at all. Only five minutes, tops.

As they approached the school, Apple looked down and she could see tons of teachers and students scouring the school grounds. And thanks to her sharper bird senses, she could just make out what they were yelling:

"Apple! APPLE! **APPLE**!" They repeated as they searched every inch of the school gardens and courtyards.

"Oh no!" Apple said. It was just as she feared; everyone _was_ frantic over her! And to make matters more chaotic, there was a huge line up of coaches that were waiting to take students home for winter break. Apparently many of the students had refused to leave until she was found.

"Shit." Rotbart said in amazement. He knew that the royals would work themselves into a tizzy over their precious princess going missing, but actually seeing all the bedlam her disappearance caused was another thing altogether. _Godmother, they really **do** love that little pain-in-the-crown. _He thought to himself. And then he noticed a very specific face in the rescue party:

"Hey, princess: look who's acting like he cares!" He said. Apple followed his gaze and saw none other than Daring Charming searching for her alongside the other would-be heroes.

"That fake!" She growled as her currently-sharp-falcon-vision caught him shoot a lecherous glance at Lizzie from across the courtyard. "That lying, unchilvarous, DESPICABLE…"

"Cool it." Rotbart said. "Return first, revenge second. Unless…"

"Unless what?"

"Unless you have a certain urge to, you know, _relieve_ yourself…" He said innocently.

Apple glared at him. "_You_ do it." She retorted.

Rotbart stared at her. "Huh?"

"You do it." She repeated. "_You're_ the one that's full of crap."

Rotbart gaped at her for a moment and then started laughing. He hadn't expected **_that_** kind of response from her.

"What's so funny?!" She demanded.

"YOU!" Rotbart gasped between chuckles.

"I see nothing funny about this." Apple snapped. "Least of all me!"

"You just told me to crap on your prince's…"

"**EX**-prince's."

"Ex-prince's head. Think about it. The future Snow White told me to take a dump on Prince Charming's head. How is that **not** funny?"

Apple was spared from answering that question by spotting her room. "Look, my room!" She cried. But then she saw Raven through the window; pacing and looking anxious as she dialed her cell phone over and over again. "Oh no!" Apple half-wailed.

"What? What is it?" Rotbart asked.

"We can't get in!"

"Why not?!"

"RAVEN'S in there!"

"So?"

"SO?! So **_nobody's_** supposed to know! You said so yourself!" Apple yelled.

"And YOU said that Raven was the **_only_** person who'd believe I'd save your ass!" Rotbart yelled back.

At that point, Professor Yaga whizzed by the two falcons and said into her walkie-talkie: "No sign of her, headmaster. I'm afraid you'll have to call in the police."

"There. You hear **that**?!" Rotbart shouted as Professor Yaga flew away on her magic mortar. "They're calling the **_police_**. And _they'll_ call in your mommy and the whole fucking royal army to boot. You wanna deal with **them**, or Raven?!"

Apple gulped. Rotbart was right again. She was stuck between a rock and a hard place, but at least the rock in question was really more of a pebble. It would be a lot easier for Apple to explain what happened to Raven than to her mother.

"Right." She said bravely. "I'm going in!"

"WAIT NO, DON'T DIVE…" Rotbart yelled.

But it was too late. Apple promptly crashed into the closed window.

* * *

><p><strong>WHAP!<strong> A huge thudding sound made Raven nearly jump out of her skin. She whirled around and saw that a bird had hit the window pane on Apple's side of the room.

"Oh no!" Raven exclaimed as she ran to the window and quickly opened it to inspect the bird. The bird turned out to be an unusual-looking falcon; a small, dainty one with white feathers with tints of gold. And very dazed blue eyes

_Never seen a bird that looks like **that** before._ Raven thought as she gingerly lifted it and laid it on her bed. But before she could examine the falcon, another one flew in. A bigger one, with black feathers and strange tufts of red around his head. And **_very_** familiar piercing blue eyes.

Nonetheless, Raven was still extremely shocked when the second bird immediately turned into her brother and said:

"I **told** that dumbass not to dive."


	38. Explanations

**Explanations**

**"ROTTY?!"** Raven burst out in disbelief.

"Hi Rae." He said casually as he headed for the dazed bird on his sister's bed.

Raven fumed. "Don't 'hi Rae' me!" She shouted. "Where _were_ you?! Do you have any idea how many times I tried to call you?!"

"I'm guessing triple digits." Rotbart said as he reached for his swan charm.

"Don't pull that smart-ass act with me!" Raven snapped. "What _happened_?! And who is _that_?!" She said as she pointed to the woozy-looking falcon. Which quickly passed out.

"Apple." Rotbart said as he let a single drop of transformation fall on the unconscious bird's head. And before Raven could utter an incredulous word, the white falcon on her bed morphed into none other than her previously-missing, crown princess roommate. Who happened to be dressed in very skimpy tatters.

Raven looked as though her violet eyes were going to pop out of their sockets and onto the floor. "What…why…how…where…_what_…huh?...**_why_**…?" She stuttered.

"One question at a time, please." Rotbart said wryly.

"WHAT THE **FUCK** ROTTY?!" Raven exploded. "WHAT THE **HELL** IS GOING ON?!"

"SHHHHHH!" Rotty hissed as he stuck his head out the window to make sure that nobody had heard his sister's mental and vocal eruption. "Quiet! You wanna get us caught?!"

"Caught? What do you mean 'caught?' What did you DO, Rotty?"

Rotbart sighed. "It's like this…" He began.

* * *

><p>Five minutes later, Rotbart had explained the situation to Raven. What he and Apple saw at the Yule Ball. How she reacted. How he ran after her. How he found her in the snow and how he found the cabin. How he managed to save her from hypothermia and why she looked the way she did. How his phone just happened to completely run out of power the first time Raven tried to call him. And finally, how he and Apple concluded that it would be best to travel back to the school incognito as birds.<p>

"Holy godmother…" Raven breathed as she sank into a chair. This whole story was a lot to take in. "Poor Apple…"

Rotbart scowled a bit. "This whole thing hasn't been a picnic for me too, you know…" He grumbled.

"I _do_ know, but I meant what Daring did."

"It was a dick move." Rotbart said. "No pun intended." He added with a smirk.

"Definitely." Raven agreed. "I mean, I know they're not officially dating or anything, but, geez, no WONDER Apple ran off like that. Princesses put such high stock in True Love; this must be **_torture_** for her…"

"Yeah, she was pretty upset." Rotbart said as he remembered Apple's heartbroken face when he found her in the snow. "But she's OK now."

"Aside from flying head first into a window." Raven pointed out.

Rotbart shrugged as if he didn't care. "Details. Anyway, I promised her that I wouldn't try to kill her until she got another shmuck to replace Dick Charming."

"Really?"

"Uh-huh. I swore on my powers." Rotbart admitted.

"You did?" Raven asked in amazement. "_Why_? And why did you save her at all?"

Rotbart sighed heavily. He didn't like talking about the motives behind his embarrassing heroics, but he knew that Raven would never let it be until he gave her the whole truth. _Might as well get it over with._ He figured.

"I couldn't let her die with a broken heart, Rae." He said. "That's all there is to it."

"Why?" Raven pressed.

"I had to grow up around heartbreak. All those swans around Dad's house, the ones that hadn't lost their humanity yet…" Rotbart stopped as he tried to think of a way to describe the eyes of those swan maidens to Raven. The eyes of women suffering from heartbreak. The eyes of women who were being tortured on the inside, far worse than any machine or magic spell could inflict. The eyes of women who would willingly let go of their souls to escape everything.

"…In the end," Rotbart finally said. "All those swans stopped being human because they _chose_ to. Not because Dad turned them into animals. He only changed their bodies. They did the rest themselves. But the time in between was awful. I could hardly look them in the eye. I tried to convince myself for years that I could do it, but in the end…"

Raven nodded understandingly. It was why he had leaped at the opportunity to replace her as Apple's villain; to spare her and Duchess from that kind of heartbreak.

"And here I thought you liked being the bad guy." She gently teased.

"I do." Rotbart said. "But I'd rather scare or embarrass the shit out of someone than let them suffer and die like that. No one deserves that. Not even Miss Candied-Apple-With-a-Stick-Up-Her-Ass." He said with a small grin. "Plus, it's kind of my patriotic duty to make sure she's got someone to get her through that story."

"Oh yeah, True Love's kiss." Raven said. "She can't get her destiny without _that_."

"Uh-huh. I can't let everyone miss out on the inexplicable joy of having Apple as their queen." Rotbart sarcastically.

"Speaking of everyone, how are we going to explain Apple's sudden reappearance?" Raven asked.

Rotbart thought for a minute. "Tell them that a handsome stranger came to her rescue. No need to say it's me."

"You're handsome?" Raven quipped in true little-sister form.

"Hah-hah." Rotbart said. "When she comes to, tell her to think of _why_ she was in the woods in the first place. _ I_ can't think of any good reason for that…stupid princess move..."

"OK."

"Oh, and don't say a word about the whole Daring and Lizzie thing." He added.

"Why?"

"Because she wants to deal with that herself. Privately." He said. Given Raven's goody-two-shoes nature, he figured that it was probably best that she didn't know that he and Apple were going to plot a horrible, embarrassing revenge for those two.

Raven nodded. "Alright. I'll wake her up and get her dressed. You'd better get out of here."

"Gone." Rotbart said. And he quickly transformed himself into his owl form and prepared to fly out the window.

"Wait!" Raven said to him. "You still want to meet up at I-POP?" The black, blue-eyed owl nodded his head furiously. "OK, I'll meet you there at 1:00." And Raven watched as Rotbart (alias "B.B.") flew back towards his dorm room.

"My brother, the knight in shining armor." She muttered as she smiled and shook her head fondly. "Who'd have thunk?"


End file.
